Misfits
by Marvel Maiden Squalls
Summary: Since they canceled the 2nd volume, I decided to continue it myself/ Kitty returns for a new year at Xavier's Academy, but now she's not the only girl. With new students and old, she faces new hardships and even finds herself in a fight for her life.
1. Chapter One

_AN: I read he story, and loved it, and felt devastated when they said they weren't going to continue it, so I thought I would :-) I'm fallowing the preview they gave of the second volume. They said she was waiting all of Summer vacation, even though they left for Winter break, so I'm going with the Summer Vacation. It also says a new year, so it only makes sense to use it. I hope you enjoy. _

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter One

Summer break had been long and boring. Compared to the life I began at Xavier's Academy, home seemed...not like home. Sure my family was there, and it felt so good to be with them again, but I was reminded about my life as an outsider. Kids who I recognized form school stared and whispered to each other. So I spent most of my time working at my parent's restaurant, or staid in my room. I did however make many trips to the kitchen just to sit and stare into the freezer. That's where I kept it. The ice heart. I couldn't help but stare at it and get a pain in my chest. Not a bad pain.

I thought of Bobby all the time. When it was dead in the store and I stood around, when I laid up in my room, and every time someone opened the freezer, or mentioned ice. I just hoped he didn't continue to ignore me when school started again. He was so cold toward me before, maybe he'll act differently since I saved his life.

John and I were obviously over. At least...I hoped it was obvious. I didn't want to be with him anymore. I wanted...I needed to be with Bobby. And if John hadn't caught on, then I was just gonna have to tell him to his face when school started. I just hoped he won't fry me after. I _really_ didn't want to ever talk to him again. I didn't want to talk to any of the hellfire members. Well, maybe Forge, because he was always the sweetest, but none of the others. They were nothing but bad news. Boys who were treated like the best, thinking they could get away with anything they wanted. I'd rather hang out with people like Fred, Kurt, and Scott...and Bobby.

I had to take a Grey Hound bus all the way to New York again. I didn't mind really, it gave me some time to catch up on my video games. I couldn't help but feel nervous. I know I had already experienced my first day already, but this was a new school year. There was going to be new people, and I was kind of worried I'd be the only girl again. I was also worried that I wouldn't, because I'd lose some of the attention. I would at least know the guys better than the new girls if there were any. Plus there was also the fact of running into John or the others. If he did try to act like we were still dating, then I would definitely have to talk to him.

I had brought the ice heart with me in a mini cooler. I put other pieces of ice in it, hoping it would hold out until I got back to the school. I wasn't really sure where I could keep it. I couldn't keep it in the freezer in the kitchen, someone would find it, and I couldn't leave it in the cooler because it would melt, unless I stole ice from the freezer...but then I'd become suspicious. I should've just left it at home...but then my sisters may have tampered with it and ruined it. I'd just have to figure something out.

Professor Xavier was still in the hospital. They say he was paralysed from the waist down, and he'll never be able to walk again. It was sad really. I wish I could've saved him too. I know it was good that I managed to save Bobby, but I wish I could've done more. It feels like everyone else's powers were better than mine. Controlling fire and ice, shooting lasers out of their eyes, teleporting, flying with wings, blowing stuff up and losing control... I wasn't sure if Alex had been released form the hospital, but I hoped he was okay. He was really scary. He must have reached an Omega level or something. That power was incredible.

So begins my new semester at Xavier's Academy...

~X~

My escort pulled the car up the long driveway, a line of cars and buses already parked there dropping of students. I looked out anxiously, looking for people I recognized. I saw Fred instantly: taller and bigger than anyone else in the crowd. I caught a glimpse of Kurt, but he teleported as soon as he grabbed hold of his things. My heart leaped when I thought I caught sight of Bobby, but it was some other kid who could change the colour of his hair. Sighing, I got out of the car when we made it to an open spot.

"Hey Kitty!" Fred greeted, waving excitedly.

"Hi," I smiled, waving a gloved hand. "How was your vacation?"

"Oh, it was great," he beamed. "Besides knocking people over here and there, I enjoyed it." I laughed lightly, taking my suitcase and mini cooler out of the back of the car. More cars moved in, and more students came out. I hurried along so that I wouldn't get caught in any heavy traffic. I knew as soon as I made it to the South Wing I'd be free of all this hustling and bustling. I was the only girl after all.

I entered the giant double doors, entering the familiar large foyer with the giant staircase that split into two. Boys were bunched here and there in clusters, catching up on what they missed, and talking about their plans for the semester. I was almost to the stairs when I saw a large pair of wings. I couldn't help but look over, and sure enough, the members of Hellfire Club were gathered next to the stairs. My heart began to race when I saw John. He didn't see me. He was too absorbed in his conversation with Longshot. _Okay_, I told myself silently. _Just keep walking, and stick to the other side of the stairs. Maybe they won't see you, and also pray that you don't fall through the stairs as you go._

Taking a deep breath, I confidently began my trek up the stairs, but it was brought to an abrupt halt when my suitcase hit the stairs, and pulled me back. _Damn it_, I cursed silently, pulling as hard as I could to make it up at least one step. If my other hand wasn't carrying the cooler, I could've used it to pull the suitcase up, but it wasn't happening. I yanked again, and this time it slipped when it hit the ground again, and I fell forward. I would've hit the floor if it weren't for the body I fell face first into.

"This kitty doesn't have much balance, no?" he chuckled. I managed to step back in surprise, and see it was Remy who caught me. _Thank goodness it wasn't John_, I thought with relief.

"Thanks Remy," I sighed, scratching my head. "Guess I'm not very balanced after all."

"You just need some assistance," he smiled, holding his hand out for my suitcase. "May I?"

"Thanks," I said, handing it over gratefully. As we made our way up the stairs, I could've sworn I felt eyes burning into my back.

"You excited for the new year Remy?" I asked, trying to think of small talk.

"Call me Gambit," he said as we reached the first landing. "That's my new name. Came up with it over the break. And oui, I'm very excited. It'll be just as eventful as the last." _Hopefully not_, I thought, thinking of the New York incident again.

"You're sure to have some fun this year Kitty," Gambit smiled, placing my suitcase down once we reached the South Wing.

"Why is that?" I asked, making a face.

"Come on y'all, that's not funny now!" Someone shouted from up ahead. It sounded southern, but what was shocking, was that it was female. With my jaw open in shock, I hurried down the hall and into the common room, where there were two girls putting on some sort of light show, sending sparkling lights everywhere. One had short black hair, and a pair of pink sunglasses on her head, while the other had shoulder-length blonde hair.

"We won't get in trouble," the blonde giggled. "We're just having some fun."

"Yeah, well if a teacher catches ya, don't come crying to me," the southern voice huffed. I looked upward in surprise, and saw a girl with brown and white hair floating on the ceiling. She didn't even have wings!  
"Oh! There's another one!" the girl with black hair gasped, the sparks disappearing from her hands. It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me.

"Oh, uh, yes, hi," I stuttered, waving nervously. "Welcome to the Academy."

"You must be Kitty Pryde," the girl with black hair smiled, jumping up from the couch. "The first girl to come here in a very long time right? I'm Jubilee."

"I'm Alison," the blond waved from her seat, not getting up.

"Just call me Rogue," the girl on the ceiling said, lowering herself down just as Remy caught up to me.

"See, told ya you'd have some fun," he smiled, but his eyes were on Rogue.

"And who are you suppose to be?" Rogue asked, giving him a weird look. "Her entourage? She get special treatment since she was the first of us?"

"Not at all," Remy smiled. "Gambit just helped out so she didn't fall down the stairs again."

"Do you see any stairs around here?" she snapped, gesturing with her hands.

"No," he replied, putting down my suitcase and catching her hand, "but I see you Chere." I blinked in surprise when he kissed her gloved hand, and gasped in shock when she yanked it away and slapped him across the face.

"Don't you 'Chere' me," she spat. "Don't think I can't see passed all that 'gentleman' act. You just keep your hands to yourself, and we'll be just fine." Remy's face was red with the outline of her hand. He stood up straight, and showed no expression.

"As you wish," he replied emptily. Stunned, I watched him walk away stiffly, wishing there was something I could do or say.

"Was that really necessary?" Jubilee asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course," Rogue replied, waving her hand dismissively. "He's just one a them punks. You see the way he dressed?"

"At least he doesn't dress like a nun," a snotty voice rang. We turned to an open bedroom door, and two more girls came out. One girl had long flowing blonde hair, and the other had shoulder-length pink hair, with a pair of fairy wings coming out of her back. Both of them dressed in uniform already. _Whoa_, I thought, staring in awe.

"Would you like me to drain you?" Rogue asked, threateningly, taking off one of her gloves. "'Cause believe me girl, I will."

"Oh yeah, you _so_ scare me," the blonde laughed mockingly. The pink-haired managed a smile, but didn't seem like she liked picking on people.

"Where are you headed Emma?" Alison asked, shifting on the couch.

"To check out the Hellfire Club of course," she smiled, flipping her hair. "Only the best get in, and of course, I am one of the best."

"You really think you can get in?" Jubilee asked, lifting an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Of course," she snapped narrowing her eyes. "When they see what I can do, they'll be begging to have me."

"You know, being in the club is not all what it's cracked up to be," I found myself saying. The girls all turned and stared at me.

"And who are you?" Emma snapped, looking at me as if I didn't belong here.

"She was the first girl who came last year," Jubilee gushed.

"So you think you know everything then huh?" she asked, walking right up to me. I blinked and stared up at her with wide eyes. "You think you're better than us because you've been here longer? You think you have dibs on all the guys because you already know them?"

"N-no I-" I stammered, but was cut off too quickly.

"Well you're not!" she shouted. "I am Emma Frost, and _I_ am the one who will be ruling this school. I was captain of the cheerleading team, and also student body president back at my old school. I deserve the best, because I always have the best, and I won't let some know-it-all tell me what is best. What _is_ best is that I join the Hellfire Club, and _you_ of all people can't stop me." With that, she brushed past me, followed closely by the girl with pink hair. _Goodness,_ I thought, my head spinning._ Not even here 10 minutes, and I'm being yelled at for being the ruler of the school and having special treatment and dibs on guys...Why?_

"Looks like she's above her raisin'," Rogue huffed, putting her glove back on. "I hope I didn't sound like her, or even close to it. I didn't mean for anything I said to be offensive toward you." She looked at me apologetically. "Just have a short fuse for certain types of people."

"But there's nothing wrong with Remy," I explained. "He's really nice, and polite, and he cooks." I remembered the dessert he allowed me to try, and my mouth started watering.

"Oh well, guess I'll just have to find out for myself," she shrugged, floating off down the hallway. "And you just don't go off kissing random girl's hands."

"That's actually the first time I've seen him do that," I replied.

"That's because you're the only girl you've seen him aronud," Jubilee pointed out.

~X~

I managed to get settled into my room easy enough. There wasn't any suitcase around the bed on the other side of the room from mine, but I wondered if I would get a roommate. If there was only those few girls, then there was still enough space for everyone to have their own room. I wore my helmet as I put all my things away, still a bit conscious about phasing through the floor. I didn't know what to do with my ice heart. It was still in good shape, but the ice around it was melting. I'd just have to steal ice cubes from the freezer for now. I jumped at the sound of something hitting my door, and it swung open as a girl covered with suitcases stumbled in.

"Hi," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I'm new, so I'm not sure if there are any other open rooms."

"Oh, there's lots," I smiled. "We have the entire South Wing, and it's huge."

"Wanna help me find a room?" she asked, a suitcase slipping from under her arm.

"I'll even help you carry this stuff," I suggested, taking a couple things.

"Thanks," she sighed gratefully, brushing her long brown hair out of her face. "I'm Amara."

"Kitty," I nodded. We knocked on all the doors lining the hallways. Those who didn't answer, we peaked in and found clothing and suitcases, and we only encountered a couple rooms with people inside, one including Rogue. We did find quite a few rooms that were empty, and Amara took her sweet time choosing the perfect one.

"Let's go exploring," she suggested, just throwing her things on the floor.

"Exploring?" I asked, making a face.

"Yeah, there's so much school here that we need to find out where everything is," she nodded.

"Well, I already know where everything is," I shrugged, "but we can go look around."

"May I ask what the helmets for?" she wondered, tapping my pink helmet.

"Oh, uh, so I don't hurt myself...," I stammered, taking it off. "You see, my power is slipping through things, like walls, people, floors. I fall through floors often, and so I wear a helmet so I don't get any major injuries."

"That's actually quite smart," she nodded, tapping her chin. "Seems easier to deal with than mine."

"What's your power?" I asked as we made our way down the hall.

"I can create this weird fire stuff with my hands," she explained. "It actually looks like lava. It causes damage just like it too."

"Wow, lava?" I blinked in amazement.

"Yeah," she nodded with a worried. "Once I...I accidentally set fire to my house...but it wasn't with the stuff from my hands..."

"Uh, I don't understand," I replied, scratching my head.

"I...kinda pulled lava from below the Earth's surface," she sighed.

"Whoa, really?" I gasped, eyes wide in surprise.

"Yeah," she nodded, looking shameful. "That's actually why I'm here. Miss Grey found me a few days after the incident and offered me a place here. I took it, and my parents were more than willing to send me here."

"Great choice," I smiled optimistically. "They can teach you how to control your powers better. They do that in gym class. Being in the Danger Room is loads of fun."

"Danger Room?" she repeated, looking confused.

"Don't worry, you'll see soon enough," I nodded. "Come on, I need to go to the kitchen."

"What for?" Amara asked, following excitedly.

"I need some ice," I explained. "You know how to keep something cold inside a freezer without in melting?"

" Ice...," she replied, thinking hard. "But that's what you're doing. What are you keeping cold?" _Should I tell her?_ I thought. _Yeah, there'd be no harm, and she's really nice. I could use someone, a girl, to talk to._

"I'll explain, once I get my ice and go back to my room."

~X~

I had fun talking with Amara. I had basically told her my whole life story. When we were in the kitchen, we also stole a couple bags of chips and a couple pops. We shared them as I explained about my time here so far, and the stuff about John and Bobby. She listed very tentatively, and asked questions here and there for clarity, squealed at cute romantic parts, and gasped near the end of my explanation.

"And that's when I found this," I ended, motioning to the heart shaped ice in my little cooler.

"That's so romantic," she squealed.

"Yeah it is," I blushed. "I've thought about him all summer, but I wonder if he's thought about me."

"He obviously does," Amara grinned widely. "He gave a you such a beautiful, priceless object that holds deep meaning! He obviously has feelings for you!" My blush deepened and I played with my shirt. We both jumped when there was a banging at our door.

"Perhaps another lost girl trying to find an empty room," she giggled, jumping to her feet and hurrying to answer it. I took another drink as she opened the door, and choked on it.

"There's going to be an assembly in the auditorium," he said, looking down at Amara.

"Alrighty," she nodded. I hoped he wouldn't see me, especially with my face burning, but luck wasn't on my side. He glanced over and his eyes locked onto mine. His eyes widened in surprise, then he quickly turned around and left.

"That was weird," Amara said, closing the door behind him.

"That was him," I whispered, my heart pounding.

"Who?" she asked, blinking widely.

"Bobby..."

"_That _was Bobby?" she gasped, dropping down in front of me. "He's so dreamy! Oh, you're so lucky!"

"But he didn't say anything," I sighed, staring down at the floor.

"Maybe because he was just surprised to see you and he wasn't ready," She suggested optimistically. "Kitty Pryde, there's no need to doubt that you got this guy, 'cause you do. That thing is proof right there." She jabbed her finger at my mini cooler. "All you gotta do is talk to him when you're alone. Like after the assembly. I'm sure you'll be able to talk to him then."

"Okay," I nodded, taking in a deep breath. She was right. Very optimistic, but right. I just had to talk to him when no one else was around.

"I'm not sure when it's suppose to start, but we better get going," Amara suggested, pulling me to my feet.

"Lead the way," she smiled, motioning toward the door.

"Why me?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"You know the way to the auditorium," she pointed out. "I don't."

"Oh, right," I chuckled lightly.

~X~

The auditorium was practically full when we arrived. There were seats empty here and there, but there were no places with two seats empty next to each other.

"Kitty!" Fred called, waving from the back row. _Probably forced to sit there so he's not in anyone's way,_ I thought walking over to him.

"There's two seats empty next to Scott," he smiled, motioning to the other side of him.

"Scott?" I repeated in surprise. Sure enough, he sat next to Fred, staring straight ahead.

"Hi!" I gasped, plopping down beside him. "How's Alex doing? Is he okay? Are _you _okay?"

"I'm fine," he nodded, "and so is Alex."

"Oh thank goodness," I sighed in relief. "Have you heard anything about Professor Xavier?"

"May I have your attention please," Magneto asked from the podium. The room instantly hushed, and all eyes were on him. Beside him stood Beast, Ms Munroe, Professor Rasputin, and a red-headed lady, who I guessed to be Ms. Grey. "Welcome to another year at Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters. I would like to welcome all the new students who have joined us, as well as those who are returning. This year will be a little different than the last. Professor Xavier is still in the hospital, but shall be returning in a few months, and he will be confined to a wheelchair. I hope that you will all treat him with the same respect as you have before." I low hum of whispers spread across the room, but died down when he continued.

"Also, the student Alex Summers is doing well, and shall return to us within the week," he said, scanning the crowd. "I just want to warn you all to be careful. Public displays such as the one that occurred last year are dangerous, and if you don't keep a control of yourself, you could kill someone. Professor Xavier was lucky to have lived." The room was under a blanket of eery silence. "As for school practicals, and schedules, everything will run the same as usual. We hope that your stay here is safe, and pleasant. You are dismissed."

"What a way to start the year," Amara shivered, following me out of the auditorium. "That Scott guy was cute though. You eat lunch with him right?"

"Yes, I do," I nodded with an amused smile. "You can sit with us too."

"Sweet," she grinned brightly.

"Hey Kitty." The voice made me freeze, my heart racing. _Oh please no,_ I thought, turning around slowly. John stood there with his hands shoved in his pockets with a smirk on his face, shades on his eyes as usual.

"Hi," I replied, keeping my voice even.

"I didn't hear from you all summer," he said, taking a step forward, and I took a step back in response. His face hardened, and I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"I'm sorry," I replied, "but I only keep in contact with friends." I didn't sound rude when I said the words, but they did sound harsh.

"What's that suppose to mean?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"I never got to say it, because you and the other Hellfire Club members disappeared," I began, clenching my fists, hoping I wasn't shaking too much. "I hoped you some how would've caught on, but I guess not. So I'm just gonna say it. We're over." He remained unresponsive, just staring down at me, and I felt fear rise in my chest. A hand appeared on my shoulder, and I realized it was Amara giving me silent support. With an annoyed sighed, John looked away.

"I kinda figured that was how it was going to be," he nodded. "Especially after the way you acted after the incident."

"So we're okay?" I asked, hoping not to make a bigger deal out of this.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "I've found someone new anyways." I couldn't help but feel like I was slapped across the face.

"You're such a jerk," Amara scoffed.

"No one's talking to you," he snapped. "You need to mind your own business."

"And you don't have a right to boss me around," she snapped back.

"No Amara, let's just go," I insisted. She didn't argue, and allowed me to push her in the opposite direction.

"Man, I can't stand him already," Amara huffed. "Don't listen to what he said about him finding someone else. You already found someone else too."

"Who would that be?" Kurt asked, appearing before us.

"Whoa!" Amara gasped, stumbling backwards.

"N-no one," I replied, feeling my face get hot. "We're going to go eat. Wanna come?"

"Of course," he smiled. "I'm Kurt, and your name is?"

"A-Amara," she stammered, still trying to slow down her heart rate.

"I see you're glad to have other females at the school," he commented, looking at me.

"Yeah it's okay," I nodded, remembering the yelling I got from Emma. "Not as quiet as it use to be, but it's fine with me."

"I'm starving," Fred grinned, coming up behind us. "Let's go already before my stomach eats itself."

"Sure thing," I beamed. We all followed along eagerly, but I noticed Scott lagged behind._ He must still be worried about Alex,_ I thought._ I wonder if he'll be any different when he comes back._

"You think you'll have alone time with Bobby soon?" Amara whispered.

"I hope," I nodded, looking around out of habit. _I hope._

~X~

_AN: Instead of making Magma blonde, I used her physical look from _X-men: Evolution_, and used her real name Amara instead of Alison, because then I'd have two characters with that name, and it would get confusing. Also, the only classic pairing I'm keeping is RoguexRemy, because I'm a Die-Hard fan of it! XD So the rest will be different pairings. Hope you liked it, and please review to let me know how much._


	2. Chapter Two

_AN: I don't own X-men, or the Misfit's story. I'm just continuing where they left off with my own ideas. Hope you enjoy it._

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Two

I anxiously adjusted my tie, staring at myself in the mirror. I managed to sleep okay, but my eyes had small bags underneath them. I tucked my tie under my sweater vest when there was a light knocking at my door. I wasn't surprised to see Amara there. We sure seemed to have clicked.

"I'm ready for my first day of lessons," she grinned excitedly.

"Just gotta grab my jacket," I nodded, hurrying over to my closet.

"So you talk to Bobby yet?" she asked, practically bouncing in the doorway.

"No," I sighed, pulling a jacket off of a hanger. "I didn't see him at all."

"Maybe you'll have a class with him," she beamed. "Then you could try and talk to him."

"But we'd be surround by people," I pointed out. "That doesn't seem to be 'alone time' to me."

"Well, you talk to him about other stuff," she explained, "and then you make arrangements to meet alone and talk."

"Yeah, that could work," I nodded, a slight blush creeping up on my face.

"Either of y'all have history first?" Rogue asked, poking her head into the room.

"Nope, we got English," Amara replied.

"Gosh darn," she huffed. "I have no clue how to find the stupid class room."

"If you go down the main stairs, and take a right, go down the hallway, it's the third one on your right," I answered, adjusting my jacket on my shoulders. It was then I noticed that she had on black stockings that covered all of her legs. _That's not part of the dress code,_ I thought.

"Thanks," she smiled, hurrying away.

"So who teaches English?" Amara asked as I closed the door behind me.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "They had teachers rotate last year, and it got kind of confusing. Since Ms Grey is back it may be easier."

"Maybe we'll have her," she grinned. "I hear she can move things with her mind."

"Wow, really?" I asked. I'd never heard of her powers, and I had been here longer than she had.

"Yup, I overheard some guys talking about her," she nodded. "She must be a very attract woman to have all those guys gushing over her."

"I think I saw her standing on stage with the other teachers," I said, recalling yesterday's assembly.

"No, she's got really long red hair," Amara said, making a face. "I heard she had hair down to her waist. The lady on stage had shorter red hair."

"Then I wonder who that could be."

~X~

"I'll check first," Amara winked, jogging up ahead. She had insisted to look inside the classroom first to see if Bobby was inside to help me "prepare" myself. "I don't see him," she reported, turning back to me. "I say its safe to enter. Let's go sit next to that girl in the front." I followed her inside, and saw a girl with light brown hair in a very high ponytail that reached her shoulders.

"Hi there," Amara greeted, sitting in the seat beside her. "I'm Amara." The girl remained unresponsive. "What's your name?" she urged, hoping to make conversation.

"Rahne," she said shortly, not looking at her. Blinking in surprise, Amara quickly turned to face me on the other side of her.

"I don't think she's a big people person," she whispered, leaning over.

"You get that from one word?" I asked.

"Yes, you can tell in her tone of voice," she nodded.

"At least you know when you're not wanted," someone commented from behind me. We turned around and saw Emma flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Why are you sitting here?" I asked, my heart sinking.

"I sit where I like," she snapped. "Besides, there's no other place to sit. So deal with it." I could tell Amara was about to say something when someone cleared their throat at the front of the classroom. We all turned around, and saw a woman with short red hair standing there, glasses low on her nose.

"Good morning," she greeted with a prim smile. "I'm new to the school this year as you can tell, and I hope to get to know you all." She walked across the room with such grace and balance. "You may call me Mystique, and this year I'll be teaching you English. Yes Mr...?" She motioned to a hand that had been raised at the back of the room.

"Longshot," he replied, with a smirk. "So what can you do?" The class waited patiently, looking at her expectantly.

"You mean, what is my special gift?" she asked, her expression unwavering.

"Yes ma'am," he nodded. I looked at Amara, who gave me a small shrug showing she heard nothing of this lady. I turned my attention back to Mystique, but she was no longer there. Longshot was now standing at the front of the classroom.

"Now that's cool," Longshot gasped from his seat at the back of the classroom. I blinked in confusion, looking from one Longshot to the other.

"Yes, it does seem rather 'cool'," the Longshot at the front of the classroom smiled, pacing, "but seeing how teaching biology is not my subject, but Ms Grey's, I won't take the time to explain it."

"Your DNA just rearranges itself to match that of someone else's," Forge explained, raising his hand. "Is that right?" The Longshot standing smirked in amusement.

"Yes, that's right." Before my very eyes, the Longshot in front of the class turned into Mystique.

"Whoa," I whispered, watching her mystified. Clearing her throat, Mystique picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the black board.

~X~

English was actually very interesting. It could've been because Mystique had this air about her that made it hard for you not to pay attention to want she was saying. I was glad Emma didn't bug me anymore in class, she was probably as drawn to the lesson as I was.

"Hey, Kitty," Fred whispered, tapping me on my shoulder. We were in math class now, and working on a worksheet that Professor McCoy gave us to refresh our memories of what we learned last year. "I'm not sure if I got this right," he said, turning his paper around so I could read it. I turned around in my seat, and checked out the question he was pointing to.

"You forgot to square the numbers," I said, showing him what I meant. "Then you follow through with the equation."

"Oh," he blinked, looking at it closely. "Okay, I see it. Thanks, you're so smart."

"Well, I'm average," I chuckled lightly, scratching my head. "I'm not _that_ smart."

"You're smarter than me," he pointed out with a big smile. "And that's important if I'm going to be asking for your help."

"True," I nodded. I went to turn around, but I froze when I noticed Bobby sitting in the second last row, a couple desks away. My chest hurt, and I felt my face get hot, as I watched him work on his math sheet. _I can't just shout across the classroom_, I thought. _Maybe I could run after him at the end of class? But he's closer to the door than I am, and he walks so fast. He'll for sure get away before I could run around all these desks...Or I could run through them._ My breath got caught in my throat when Bobby looked up. He wasn't looking at me initially, but when I tried to turn around he did, and our eyes locked. Before I knew it, I was waving at him awkwardly. Every time I waved at him last year, he completely ignored me. His face staid straight this time, as it always did, but he returned my wave. I quickly turned around before he could see the blush deepening on my face. _He waved back_, I gushed silently to myself, hoping I didn't catch anyone's attention.

I managed to finish the work sheet just as the bell rang. I left my papers on my desk, just like Professor McCoy instructed, and turned to see Bobby heading for the door. Taking in a deep breath, I sprang forward, running through desks, chairs and students. He veered to the right as he left the room, so I aimed for the wall to the right of the door, and nearly tripped over myself as I tried to slow down.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Bobby said, stumbling back when I popped out in front of him.

" Um, hi," I stammered, frozen in embarrassment. _Great_, I thought, feeling awkward. I didn't even think about what I was going to say to him. We stood their awkwardly as other students walked by.

"Well, if all you wanted to do was delay me going to the cafeteria, you-"

"Thank you," I whispered, looking down at the floor.

"Huh?" he asked, looking at me confused.

"I just...wanted to thank you," I repeated, spinning on my heels, and quickly making my way to the cafeteria.

~X~

"Thank you?" Amara gasped in disbelief. "All you said was 'thank you'?"

"I panicked," I sighed, shoving a spoonful of soup into my mouth, and swallowing it quickly. "I didn't know what else to say."

"Who _are _you guys talking about?" Kurt asked from across the table. "You keep speaking of this mystery boy, and I must say it's highly interesting."

"You won't find out anytime soon," Amara smiled, eating her hamburger.

"You know Scott's a major vegan right?" I whispered in her ear, causing her to spit it back out onto her plate.

"You don't like it?" Fred asked, from beside Kurt.

"Not really...," she hesitated, biting her lip. "I'm gonna go get a garden salad instead." I couldn't help but giggle as she scurried away, leaving her food behind.

"I don't think she'll mind," Fred smiled, reaching over and taking her burger.

"Are you really that desperate for food Fatty?" A sharp voice asked, sending a shiver up my spine. John walked by, glaring at us, and to my surprise, his arm was wrapped around Emma's waist. _A fitting couple_, I thought with a scowl.

"No, I just don't want it to go to waste," Fred smiled, eating it without hesitation.

"Just hurry along to your little club," Scott snapped, coming over with his lunch. "You don't want to miss the reciting of your pledge."

"Careful Summers," John said threateningly. "You don't want to end up in the hospital like your brother." This hit a nerve, and Scott reached for his glasses.

"Scott no!" I gasped, grabbing his arm. "Don't." Scott gritted his teeth, shaking with fury, and I felt him restrain from pushing me away. John only smirked with satisfaction and walked away.

"Don't tell me I missed something good," Amara said, coming up with her salad.

"Only a pest," Kurt replied, poking his food. Scott took in a few calming breaths, and seated himself on the other side of me. Amara pouted as she sat down next to me, and opened her salad.

"Sorry," I whispered to her.

"It's okay," she whispered back. "He's still at the same table."

"Excuse me." A small, dainty girl came up to our table with dark shades on, and a stick in her hand. She had long black hair that hung half in her face, but she didn't seem to mind. "Is it okay if I interrupt you for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" Fred replied cheerily.

"I'm looking for where the Hellfire Club has lunch," she smiled shyly. "I can't find it, and I was wondering if any of you knew where it was." Everyone but Amara turned their eyes on me.

"Oh come on," I groaned. "I don't want to go back there. I hate it there."

"Is it bad?" the girl asked, making a face, looking straight over the table, looking at no one in particular.

"They're not a good lot of kids to be seen with that's for sure," Kurt replied, watching the girl tentatively.

"Oh, really?" she asked, frowning. "I was told that only special students get invited."

"Oh, they're special alright," Scott huffed, through gritted teeth. "In their heads."

"Maybe I shouldn't go then," the girl said, gripping her stick harder. "There's nothing special about me anyways."

"Don't say that," Amara gasped. "We're all special. We've got these...abilities that set us apart from everyone else."

"Yes, but at least you can see," she said bitterly. I felt a pain of guilt in my chest when I realized the truth. The stick she held was a walking stick, and she didn't look at anyone because she didn't know where they were exactly.

"I'll leave you to your lunch then," she bowed slightly. "Sorry to have-"

"I'll take you to them," I blurted, already on my feet. "If they invited you, you must fit their criteria of special. You may think of them differently than we do anyways. Come on, I'll show you the way."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking uncertain.

"Of course," I smiled, taking her elbow, and leading her out of the cafeteria.

"My name is Irene by the way," she said, allowing me to guide her.

"I'm Kitty Pryde," I replied.

"I know," she nodded. "I saw meeting you."

"Huh?" I asked, looking confused.

"Sorry, it's what I'm able to do," she explained when we got out into the hallway. "I can see the future, but that's all I'm able to see. I saw myself being lead to the Club by someone in the cafeteria, so I went asking around, and then I finally found you."

"Oh," I nodded. "That's actually an interesting power."

"I guess," she sighed. "I only get the visions every once in awhile. I once was able to have one just thinking about it, but I haven't been able to since. I wonder if I'll ever be able to control it."

"You will," I smiled, sounding optimistic. "Being here will help, trust me. This school is great."

"Yes it is," she agreed as I took her around a corner, and toward a pair of large double doors. "But it won't stay that way forever." Her voice sounded scared, and shaky, and I felt a shiver go up my spine at the thought of the school ever changing. We were only a few feet away when the doors opened, and Forge stepped out.

"Irene, there you are," he sighed in relief. "I was beginning to get worried."

"I knew I'd come just fine," she smiled brightly. "Thank you Kitty."

"Oh, you're welcome," I smiled in return, allowing Forge to take her hand.

"How was your summer?" he asked me, with a genuine grin.

"Long, but it was a nice break," I shrugged.

"Forge, you coming?" I heard someone shout from within the room. I could just see it. The HellFire Club gathered around a long dinning table, being waited on by two mutants with collars, and eating the finest, fanciest foods they could find.

"Thanks for bringing her," Forge said, before closing the door behind them. _Welcome_, I thought, with a sigh.

~X~

I was so glad for school to be done for the day. I was filled with a satisfying amount of dinner, and was laying down on my bed, my head hanging off the end. It wasn't that bad of a first day. I managed to make a new friend, and keep my old ones. I got through the school work easy enough, but I wasn't looking forward to this year's work load. It was better than last year's first day. Even though I was going to school with other mutants, I still stuck out like a sore thumb because I was the only girl. I was glad that that wasn't the case anymore. It was nice to see other girls in the hallway. There wasn't as many of them as there was boys, but there was enough to make me feel comfortable.

My eyes wandered around my room, and landed on the mini cooler. _I wonder how that's holding up_, I thought, rolling off my bed and walking across the room. I tightened my helmet a bit before I knelt down to open the cooler. I felt my heart drop into my stomach when I opened it. The ice was a puddle, and floating on top was a deformed heart.

"No, no, no!" I panicked, closing it up, and racing out of my room. There was only one thing I could think of, and that was to shove it into the freezer in the kitchen. I ran as fast as I could, and even phased through a couple rooms, until finally made it. I dropped the cooler on the counter, and whipped it open, scooping what was left of the heart out of the freezing water, and into the freezer. I stared at it, my heart racing, and my eyes stinging. _I ruined it_, I thought, looking at its awful shape. It had once been smooth and flawless as glass, now the edges were wavy, and you could see faults insides.

I let the freezer hang open, and sat down at the counter, staring at it miserably as I had at home. _I ruined it,_ I thought, burying my face in my hands and bawling my eyes out. _The most beautiful and priceless gift I had ever received, and I ruined it. I should've left it at home. Who cares if my parents saw it, they would've kept it safe. What was I thinking? I wasn't...I never can when he's on my mind..._

"They run out of freezies?" someone asked from the doorway. My head shot up in alarm, and stumbled away from the counter._ Oh, God no_, I thought watching Bobby move toward the fridge. I could tell my face must've been a sloppy mess, but I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking of hiding the heart from him. _Would he get mad about me ruining it?_, I wondered, running through the counter to stop him. _I'm sure he would._ I managed to grab hold of the freezer door just as he did, our hands touching. Normally I would've withdrew it, but I wasn't this time. I was going to keep him from seeing it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to pull it open farther so he could see inside. I pulled back with as much force as I could. "Why are you acting so strange today."

"Y-you can't see," I found myself stammering, my face a mess of running tears and snot.

"Can't see what?" he asked, his expression staying the same as it always did. Against my will, my hands phased through the door handle, and I landed on my butt on the floor. The freezer door swung open, banging off the wall, and began to close again. Bobby stopped it, looking inside. I was too afraid to look up at him. I staid on the floor, staring at my shoes when he squatted down. Surprised, I looked up to see him holding what was left of the heart.

"You kept it," he said in a quite voice, his facial features looking softer.

"I ruined it," I sniffed, not looking him directly in the eye and whipping my nose clean with my sleeve. I stared at the pitiful thing, small, and wretched compared to its former beauty, but before my eyes I watched it reform, and takes its original shape. Bewildered, I finally looked at him and for the first time that I could remember, he was smiling. It was only a half smile, but it was genuine, and it made my heart flutter.

"All better," he said, putting it into my hands. I examined it in awe. It was as flawless as the first time I held it. "Keeping it in a cooler will only let it melt again, but I'll fix it as many times as you want." His voice was so gentle, and his eyes didn't look like icicles, but pools of calm water. The blush on my face was so deep, and the pain in my chest was so strong, I wasn't even sure I was breathing.

"Th-thank you," was all I could get out.

"Is that all you know how to say?" he asked, a bit of his old annoyance coming back.

"When I get nervous...yes," I found myself blurting, and wishing I could take it back.

"This was actually suppose to just be a thank you," he said, looking down at his creation thoughtfully. "For saving my life."

"'Just suppose to be'?" I repeated, looking curious.

"Yes," he nodded, cupping his hands around mine and the heart, "but it actually...meant more when I finished making it." I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want to say anything that would sound stupid and ruin the moment, and I didn't have to. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips against mine, silencing any words I even thought of saying.

~X~

I was in a daze when I knocked on the door. My head was spinning, and I thought I wasn't getting enough oxygen through the shallow breathes I was taking. When Amara opened the door, her hair was in two braids, and she wore a long blue nightgown.

"What happened?" she asked, taking my hands to steady me.

"Bobby," I blushed with a goofy smile.

"You talked to him?" she gasped, pulling me into her room. "Tell me everything, and don't leave out any details." We sat on her bed, and I spilled out everything I could remember: from me running out of my room with the cooler, to my snot fest, to the kiss, to hiding the heart in the back of the freezer with Bobby's help. The whole time wearing my helmet, which I still had on now.

"You gotta ditch this thing," she laughed, knocking on it, "but I'm so happy for you. I'm so glad you guys are finally together. Are you guys going to eat lunch together now?"

"Um, well I guess so," I shrugged. "I don't know, we didn't really get to discussing that."

"Oh don't worry, you'll have lots to talk about now," she giggled, laying down on her stomach.

"I don't know," I said, feeling a bit worried. "He still has that guarded look."

"Well of course he will," she said, looking at me as if I was stupid. "You only just started dating. He hasn't opened up to you yet. He will though, don't worry about that."

"I hope so," I sighed, but couldn't erase the smile from my face.

"AHH!"

"What was that?" Amara gasped when the pair of screams caused us to jump in alarm. We scrambled off the bed, and headed in the direction we thought we heard it come from, when Rogue rushed through one of the doors, her hands sending sparks everywhere.

"I didn't mean to," she cried, tears streaming down her face. "I swear I didn't."

"Look out!" Amara gasped, pushing me out of the way and was hit by a stream of coloured light. She was sent flying down the hall, and almost fell down the stairs.

"I can't stop it!" Rogue screamed, trying to clasp her hands together, but it was no good, she ended up creating a wave of energy, but I phased myself so it went right through me, and hit the wall behind me, causing the girl inside to scream. I thought back to how I was able to phase both Bobby and myself through Alex's blast of energy._ Maybe I can touch Rogue and phase both me and her, and then all the energy she creates will phase through the walls without harming anyone..._, I thought. It was very complex and elaborate, and I wasn't sure I could do it, but I had to try something. Praying I wouldn't fall through the floor, I raced forward, keeping myself phased so the energy bursts went right through me.

"No don't touch me!" Rogue shouted when I got close, but it was too late. As I felt my foot sink through the floor I grabbed onto Rogue's arm and held on tight. I was met by agonizing pain, that made me cry out, and then I was falling, and swallowed up by darkness.

_AN: Just so you know "Rahne" is pronounced as "Rain". Please review, I'd appreciate it very much. Let me know what you think of the story so far._


	3. Chapter Three

AN: Thank you sooooo much to those who've reviewed. It's made me really happy to know people actually like what I'm doing with this.

And I'm very bad at righting accents, so I'm very sorry for not writing thier voices properly. I'm trying though. : )

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Three

The first thing I noticed was my sore muscles. I felt like I had fallen off a building and laying in a body cast, but I didn't feel anything hard keeping my in a specific position. I next noticed the pounding in my head like a super bouncy ball that someone let loose in there My throat was dry, and I coughed when I took in too much air in surprise to how much pain I was in.

"Are you awake?" There was someone sitting next to the bed. Slowly, and carefully, I turned my head, and fluttered my eyes open. A pair of brown eyes were staring down at me, sparkling in delight. "I'm so glad you're okay." It was Amara. I smiled weakly and closed my eyes again.

"What happened?" I asked quietly, feeling too drained to talk any louder.

"Well, I got zapped by fireworks and almost sent down a flight of stairs," she huffed. "You and Jubilee got it worse though. I can't believe Rogue did that."

"Did what?" I opened my eyes again, to look up at her.

"That's what her powers are," she explained. "She absorbs other people's powers, but she also absorbs their life energy or something. That's why you fell unconscious."

"So I had my powers drained?" I asked, feeling a bit anxious.

"Not permanently," she smiled reassuringly. "You still have your powers, she just absorbed some of it and had it for a temporary amount of time.

"So what happened? I mean, after I passed out."

"Well, I managed to roll over to see what was going on," Amara explained. "I saw you run up to her and grab her arm. You both screamed, and fell through the floor. I didn't see anything beyond that. I passed out too, but woke up a half hour later with Ms. Grey checking to make sure I was okay."

"How long have I been out?" I asked, suddenly curious. I shifted myself trying to sit up, but I sharp pain shot through my head, so I let myself fall back onto the pillow.

"Almost a day," she smiled.

"A day," I repeated, blinking up at the ceiling. "I'll have to catch up on missed school work don't I?"

"Yeah, sadly," she laughed. There was a light tapping on the door, and Amara shrugged, showing she didn't know who it could be.

"Come in," I croaked, coughing because my throat was dry.

"You awake?" Rogue opened the door, dread in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Could use a drink," I smiled weakly, "but yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"

"Yeah, no permanent changes," she nodded, not coming any closer. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," I said, shaking my head lightly. "It's not your fault."

"I should have at least told you what my powers were," she said, scratching her arm. "Then you wouldn't have grabbed my bare arm."

"Don't blame yourself," Amara said. "You didn't expect anything like that to happen, and neither did we."

"I didn't hit you too bad did I?" she asked, looking at Amara with wide eyes.

"Nope, I've had worse," Amara grinned, flexing. "I'm tough."

"I'm just sorry ya'll had to learn about my powers like that," she sighed, with a lopsided smile.

"Do you remember everything that happened?" I asked, curious to know what happened.

"Yes," she nodded, coming over slowly. "When you touched me, we fell through the floor but you hit the ground hard when I just...floated. I was still um...going through things, I couldn't control it, but the sparks I made went through things too."

I nodded, smiling widely. "Just like I hoped it would."

"You planned that?" Rogue asked, making a face.

"Not that part about you absorbing my powers no," I said, shaking my head. "I was planning on phasing the both of us. I did it once before, and was hoping I could do it again. Worked out differently than I thought, but it still worked."

"Good thinking," Amara commented.

"So what else happened?" I pressed, wanting to know more.

"Well, we landed in another hallway, and thank goodness Ms. Grey and Ms. Munroe were there," Rogue continued. "Ms. Munroe helped move you out of the way, and Ms. Grey helped calmed my mind. There were a bunch of guys down the hallway, so a lot of them saw what happened."

"Bobby was actually in here before I came," Amara beamed.

"What?" I gasped, my face turning a deep red.

"Oh, you got a boy on the brain?" Rogue asked with a teasing tone.

"And she's on his brain too," Amara grinned.

" H-he was here?" I repeated again, my heart racing. _He was actually here, in my room visiting me._

"Yes he was," Amrara nodded ecstatically. "You know, dinner will be almost ready, if you're up to it we can get some food. Maybe you can even see him." She didn't have to tell me twice. I sat up, slowly, and scratched my head.

"I'm gonna head back to my room now," Rogue said, backing away. "I'm glad I didn't hurt you worse than I thought."

"It's no problem at all," I smiled politely.

"I just have a question," Amara spoke up just as she got to the door. "How are you able to fly?" Rogue was very hesitant, and wouldn't meet either of our eyes.

"Held on too long," she murmured before slipping out of the room.

~X~

"Kitty!" Fred gasped when Amara and I approached our usual table.

"Hey guys," I smiled, placing my tray down next to Fred. He was on his feet faster than I expected, and I found myself in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Fred, you're going to put her back in bed before she even fully recovers," Scott said.

"Sorry," Fred chuckled, letting me go. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," I nodded. "Got a bit of a headache, but I'm alive."

"There hasn't been an accident like in a very long time," Kurt said thoughtfully, cutting his food. "Not in my time here that is."

"You've only been here two years," Scott pointed out, picking up some weird, discoloured burger.

"Still," he shrugged. "It's good to see you up and about Kitty."

"It feels good to move around," I nodded in agreement. "How's Jubilee doing?"

"Last I checked she was still unconscious," Amara said, poking a weird looking pasta. "She had it worse than you did."

"She's gonna be okay right?" I asked, finally seating myself down at the table. I felt worried, and hoped Rogue wasn't beating herself up too much.

"They said that she'd recover," Kurt nodded. "She just needs to rest. I have to say, Rogue's powers are especially unique, and she could become a very powerful mutant. Right now she can only absorb powers through touch, imagine she could do it through thought?"

"That's freaky actually," Fred said in a worried. He had sat down again too, and nearly knocked over the table as he did.

"We all have great potential with our powers," he continued optimistically. "Imagine what we could accomplish in the future."

"Yeah, and Scott won't fry things every time he opens his eyes," Fred chuckled. I saw Scott stiffen, and his fists clench in anger. That must have hit a nerve, I thought watching him shoot to his feet. Without a word, he grabbed his tray and rushed away.

"Oops," Fred pouted, looking completely guilty. "I didn't mean to sound rude."

"No, it's okay," I smiled, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, he won't stay mad forever." I looked over at Amara, and saw her taking out a bag of chips and began to eat them, sulking.

"I still gotta apologize," Fred said, his voice shaking in worry.

"He's been sensitive about a lot of things since what happened with Alex," Kurt said quietly, looking down at his food. "So I'm sure he'll forgive you."

"He hasn't talked much about his thoughts on it has he?" I wondered, stirring my soup.

"Doesn't seem like the type to do a lot of talking," Amara sighed, her head resting in her hand. "Especially about feelings."

"Maybe you should interest yourself with a boy of another type then," Kurt suggested. Amara choked on a chip in surprise. "Oh it's not that hard to notice you like him," he laughed. "You're sudden loathing of meat is a big giveaway." Amara huffed in defeat, and shrugged. "Who you fancy is still the question." He winked at me with a mischievous smile. "I shall eventually put two and two together and figure it out."

"Not before they start dating," Amara grinned, suddenly bright. "They already kissed and-" She cut off at my exasperated expression. "Right, mouth diarrhoea is acting up." She made a zipping her mouth motion and placed her hands on the table.

"Well I hope you guys date," Fred spoke up cheerfully after finishing a big bowl of stew. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks," I nodded. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of boyfriend Bobby would be. Would he be like how John used to be? Or what I _thought _he was like until I saw his true colours. Maybe he would be better. He doesn't do a lot of talking, so what if our relationship suffers in the communication category?

"Earth to Kitty!" Amara shouted, hitting me on the head with a chip.

"What?" I blinked in surprise.

"I said, I saw him leave the cafeteria," she repeated. "Now go after him!"

"O-oh," I stammered, jumping to my feet.

"I could take you out if you want," Kurt offered with a mischievous grin.

"No, that's okay," I said, already zig-zagging through the tables. I could've just phased through them all, but I wasn't sure if my powers were up to par yet, and I didn't want to risk any more injury to myself. Running through a crowded room was a risk in itself. I sure did a lot of running after this guy. He was such a fast walker. Did he ever just slow down for a change? I managed to get outside and just get a glimpse of him turning the corner. Gosh, I thought, breathing in deeply a few times, before chasing after him. What was I going to say? Would he say something first? Do I call out his name when I get close? Or just run in front of him like I did last time. Before I knew it was practically on his heels, and he didn't even notice I was there.

"Uh, hey Bobby," I said, my voice wavering. Bobby stopped and turned around in surprise. "I'm all better." I grinned, throwing my arms out as if to demonstrate. I didn't even have time to feel awkward. He had his arms around me and hugged me tightly before I even realized it. It felt nice to be held like this. I could actually feel his concern through the embrace. So much different than John, I thought, then mentally slapped myself. Stop thinking about him. He's a jerk, and you should no longer need to worry about him anymore.

"Are you really okay?" he asked with concern.

"Just a few aching muscles, but I'm still kicking," I replied, hugging him back. I really didn't want to ever let go.

"Even your powers?" That was a good question. I would like to try them, but what if they didn't work like they used to? What if I have to start from the bottom to gain control over them again? That would suck.

"I haven't tried them yet," I shrugged in response.

"Then try them now." He took a step back holding one of my hands, looking at me expectantly.

"Oh, um." I looked around, not sure what to do. I could've pulled my hand free of him, but he may not take it again, and I liked him holding it. I instead decided to just stick my hand through the wall. I took in a calming breath, and felt even more relief when my hand slipped through.

"See, all better," I smiled. It soon faded when I pulled my hand back. It wouldn't move. It was stuck in the wall. "What?" I shouted in panic. This had never happened before. I'd never gotten stuck before. I'd always stay in phase mode until I was free of objects, but this was just ridiculous. Bobby took the wrist of my stuck hand, and lightly pulled.

"Can you phase again?" he asked, staying calm.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "This has never happened before..." It must be because of Rogue.

"I'll break you out." He put his hand on the wall, and before my eyes it slowly froze over.

"Oh, no don't do that!" I gasped. "Just go get Kurt. He can teleport me out of here."

"You aren't in pain?" he asked, his eyes glazed with concern.

"No, of course not," I replied, with a shake of my head. Actually, I felt like my hand was being squished by the wall closing in on it, but I didn't say anything.

"I'll go get him then," Bobby nodded, reluctant to let my hand go. He dashed down the hallway as fast as he could toward the cafeteria. I positioned myself against the wall comfortably so that it looked only natural, and hoped no one noticed. Great, this is just great, I thought, pulling a few strands of hair behind my ear. My powers are working, but they're dysfunctional. Maybe it would be better to not have them working at all, but if that happened would I get kicked out of the school? My thoughts were interrupted by hysterical laughter. I turned to see a girl leaning against the wall right across from me.

"I see you're in a pickle there," she grinned mischievously. Her hair was thick and very dark, extremely curly and went down to her mid-back.

"Yeah," I nodded, giving her a weird look. "How long have you been there?"

"Since you got stuck, you just didn't see me," she smirked. "I'm Wanda. Wanda Maximoff."

"Kitty," I replied carefully. "Why do you look so amused by this?"

"Because I can't believed it actually worked!" She broke out in hysterical laughter again. "I was afraid I'd blow up the wall or something, but making your powers useless was the outcome instead, which is exactly what I wanted."

"You did this to me?" I asked, staring at her in bewilderment. "Why?"

"Why not," she shrugged. "It's fun."

"Wanda!" a sharp voice shouted from down the hall. Wanda flinched, and slowly turned to her gaze down the hall. I looked too, and saw Magneto stalking over to us.

"What did I tell you about using your powers on other people?" he said, firmly like a father. His eyes blazing with anger.

"I was just messing around," she shrugged, not meeting his eyes. There was a light 'poof' and Kurt appeared in front of me, scaring me half to death.

"My, you really are stuck," he gasped, taking my arm. One second my hand was stuck, the next it was free and I stood beside Wanda.

"Thanks Kurt," I sighed in relief, shaking my hand to get its feeling back. It felt numb and cramped, and I hoped no permanent damage was done.

"Sorry Kitty," Wanda said sourly before Magneto could get out what he was about to say. "There happy?" She looked up at him, then quickly stalked away.

"I'm very sorry," Magneto apologized, bowing his head slightly. "Her definition of fun changes a lot."

"N-no problem," I nodded.

"Kitty!" Amara came dashing around the corner and practically knocked me over when she hugged me. She was closely followed by Bobby, and Fred. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"No biggie," I shrugged, with a forced smile. "I'm okay."

"You could've been stuck for ever," Fred said, bear hugging both me and Amara.

"If that wasn't her downfall, you sure will be if you don't put them down," Kurt said folding his arms. "That is weird though. According to what Rogue said your powers should be just like they use to."

"It wasn't because of Rogue," I said, shaking my head. "It was because of a girl named Wanda. I guess she played a prank on me with her powers. She made me get stuck."

"Quicksilver's sister?" Bobby asked.

"I didn't know he had a sister," Kurt said thoughtfully.

"He's in the Hellfire Club, who cares about them," Bobby shrugged.

"We'll have gym with them tomorrow," Fred said, scratching his head. "Won't we?"

"Sadly, yes," Kurt nodded.

~X~

"Alright Kitty, today I'm gonna pair you up with Megan," Magneto announced, motioning to the girl with pink hair. She was the one with the fairy wings that followed Emma around.

"Hi," she smiled sheepishly. I hadn't noticed before, but being closer to her, I could see her eyes were completely black.

"Hello," I nodded in response. She was so much nicer than Emma.

"As you have demonstrated once before, you can fade other people besides yourself," Magneto explained. "So I want Megan to carry you up there through an obstacle course and when you need to, phase both of you through obstacles." _Flying?_ I swallowed a hard lump that appeared in my throat. _I hate heights. Why is he torturing me?_

"Um, but what if I phase just myself?" I asked, pulling at my shirt.

"Or what if she doesn't phase either of us and we hit the object?" Megan added.

"Well, we'll see how aerodynamic you are," Magneto smiled pleasantly. We just stared at him with wide fearful eyes.

"I'm just kidding," he chuckled lightly. "If you fall, or if you both get knocked out of the air, there will be nets to catch you. This is a also a trust exorcise. You Kitty, need to trust her to guide you through the obstacle course as well as catch you if she can, and you Megan, need to trust that she will keep you from any excess injuries."

"I'm sure we can do it," Megan smiled optimistically.

"Yeah, sure we can." I tired feeding off her optimistic energy.

"Alright ladies, up you go, and good luck," Magneto smiled, motioning upwards. I looked up and felt a dizzy rush. There were ropes to outline the path we were suppose to take up there. We'd be flying up above everyone else, meaning they could all be watching.

"Ready?" Megan asked, already hovering.

"Yeah, I guess so," I nodded hesitantly.

"Do you want me to pick you up by your arms or just your hands?" she asked, moving above me.

"I guess arms," I shrugged. I didn't have a good grip, so I guess it was better the other way.

"Alright, here we go," Megan chimed, picking me up without anymore warning. I gasped, and felt my stomach drop as my feet left the floor. _Please don't fall, please don't fall, _I repeated to myself as we went higher and higher.

"The trick is to not look down," Megan suggest.

"Yeah, okay," I breathed in slowly, looking up to where we were headed. The first obstacle was a solid iron block. "You gonna fly under it?"

"How about we try going through it?" she said, flying straight for it. _Oh god, oh god_, I panicked, closing my eyes. _Take us through, oh please take us-_

" AH!" I screamed, suddenly in a free fall. I had phased out of Megan's arms just like I feared. I looked around frantically, but couldn't see Megan, or a net. _Oh great,_ I thought.

"Gotcha!" Megan shouted triumphantly, grabbing hold of my arm. "Sorry, I got scared and my hands slipped."

"Oh no, I'm pretty sure I phased through them," I sighed in relief, taking hold of her other hand.

"Wanna try again?" she asked, taking us back up.

"Guess we gotta in order to get it right," I nodded, clenching my jaw tight. We approached the block again, and I didn't close my eyes this time. I didn't phase out of her grip this time, in fact I didn't phase at all. The block hit me hard in the stomach, knocking almost all the air out of me.

"Oh my gosh!" Megan gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's not your fault," I grunted. "It's really not your fault anyways."

"I was going too fast," she frowned. "Maybe we should take it slow until we get it."

"Good idea," I nodded. Third time wasn't a charm. I fell again. I couldn't understand it. I did it once before with Bobby. Why couldn't I phase the both of us now? Maybe because I wasn't in a dangerous situation that desperately needed it. Or maybe because I'm thinking too much.

"Again?" Megan sighed, becoming as frustrated as I was. It was because of me this wasn't working, and I'd get as mad as she was if it were someone else.

"Yeah," I nodded, concentrating on the image of us just phasing through the block.

"I'll fly a little lower so that we can both phase through to see it if really works," she said, approaching the block slowly. _Great, so if it doesn't work, I'll smack my face off of it this time, _I thought, eyeing the block. _Pass through..._ And to my relief we finally did. The both of us, without any injury or falling.

"You did it!" she shouted in excitement.

"Yeah, just don't drop me," I replied, holding on tightly. While keeping up my concentration, I managed to phase us through when necessary, and Megan increased her speed, which increased her agility to avoid swinging objects. I felt like I was surely going to throw up from motion sickness. It was that thought that distracted me, and we were knocked out of the air by a swinging hammer. I lost my grip on Megan, and we fell away from each other.

My breath was caught as I fell again. I hadn't realized I was in phase mode until I fell through the safety net. _Crap, crap, crap_, I panicked, closing my eyes. _Please at least let me fall on someone! _The floor came sooner than I thought, and it was really cold. My eyes flew open in fear when I continued to fall, but it wasn't through the floor, but down a slide. A slide made of ice. I went down, down, down a swirling slide, gaining too much speed for my liking, and slid right into a pair of arms at the bottom.

"You have a knack for dangerous situations don't you?" asked Bobby, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Just a little," I shrugged, blushing. Applause erupted around us, and my face got even redder.

"That was some impressive quick thinking Iceman," Magneto praised, patting his shoulder.

"Bit of a show off if you ask me," a voice sighed, not sounding at all impressed. I glared at John where he stood with Emma. She wasn't looking at us, but at Megan as she lowered herself down.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes wide and apologetic.

"Of course she is," Emma snapped. "She's standing isn't she?"

"I'm okay." Smiling at Megan, I tried to ignore Emma's presence.

"That's enough for today class," Magneto announced suddenly. "Great job today. Class dismissed."

"Come on Megan," Emma called as she walked away with John.

"'Come on Megan'," Megan mocked in a low voice.

"Then why do you bother hanging out with her?" I asked, making a face.

"She's really nice to me when it's just us two," she smiled. "We've been friends awhile. Really, but she always acts differently around other people. She tries to impress people too much."

"To some people it has the opposite effect," Bobby said.

"Yeah it can," she nodded in agreement. "Well, I'd better catch up to her. See you around."

"Man, I hate flying," I sighed, scratching my head.

"You're getting better with your powers though," Bobby pointed out. "That counts for something right?"

"Of course," I smiled.

"So you want to go get something to eat?" he asked, taking my hand.

"Yes," I beamed, answering a bit too loud. The two of us were the last ones to leave the Danger Room, or so I thought. I felt like I was being watched, but didn't turn around to look. Something moved in the shadows, eyes following us unblinkingly.


	4. Chapter Four

_AN: Sorry for taking so long to update, been in a funk, and buried in school work. Thank you sooo much to everyone who has reviewed, and added this story to their fav and alert lists! ^.^ I really appreciate it, and it's what really pushed me to finish this chapter._

_Enjoy._

_Warning: There's more than likely gonna be spelling and grammar errors in this. :P But i finally edited the first three chapters. lol_

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Four

The weekend came before I even realized. School work wasn't too rough, but I was still stuck with homework for the weekend. I had gotten up Saturday morning, planning on getting my homework done and out of the way when there was an ecstatic knock on my door. _Probably Amara_, I thought, rolling out of bed. I quickly raked my fingers through my hair to make it look better before opening the door.

"Hi," Megan smiled, her black eyes somehow sparkling.

"Oh, hey," I replied, taking in that she was already dressed at 7 o'clock in the morning on a weekend.

"I didn't wake you up did I?" she blinked nervously. "Ms Grey told me to come get you, and I wasn't sure..."

"No, surprisingly I was awake," I nodded. "So what's up?"

"Ms. Grey, Mr Munroe and Mystique have called all the girls to the common room," she explained. "Dressed or not, they want you to come."

"Oh, okay sure," I said, scratching my head in surprise. "So we just go?"

"We just go," Megan nodded, looping her arm through mine and leading me down the hall. The common room was fuller than I had ever seen it. I felt kind of awkward walking around in my pyjama shorts, but it faded when I saw everyone else in their unique sleepwear. The size of the group couldn't even compare to how many guys there were, but it was still very impressive. I mentally counted as I sat in an empty chair, and I picked out eleven girls, plus me, and the 3 older woman who stood where we could all see them.

"Good, everyone is here now," Ms. Munroe smiled, unfolding her arms. "Welcome girls to your first weekend at the academy."

"Why are we up so early?" yawned Jubilee, lazily sprawled on the couch next to Alison.

"Well, in a couple weeks we are going to be having a school-wide tournament," the lady I guessed to be Ms. Grey continued. Her hair really was really long. "And we thought that since you girls are all new, and don't know each other well, we thought we'd coordinate the day so that you'll be grouped differently to get to know each other better."

"So that we'd be able to kick the boys butts?" Alison asked with excitement.

"Well, you'll be teamed up with the boys," Mystique answered. "This'll teach you how to get along, but also how to be competitive."

"We hope you all will enjoy the day, and what we planned for you," Ms. Grey smiled.

"Um, what about homework?" a girl I didn't know wondered, raising her hand.

"You still have tomorrow," Mystique answered. "Plus you'll have time after dinner. That'll be the end of our event-filled day."

"What are the boys gonna be doing?" Wanda asked, twirling her finger in her hair.

"They'll be doing what ever they like," Ms. Munroe shrugged. "Just like you would do on a normal weekend."

"They won't be watching us will they?" Megan asked, blinking curiously.

"They may end up watching the soccer game this afternoon," Ms. Grey grinned. "It'll be lots of fun."

"Will you guys be playing with us?" Emma asked raising an eyebrow. "Destiny won't be able to play, so it'll be an odd number of players."

"I will be playing for her," Ms. Munroe nodded. "Ms. Grey and Mystique will both referee as well as coach each team."

"I'd like her on my team," Megan whispered to me.

"Anymore questions?" Mystique asked, taking out a clipboard. "Okay, so these are the groups we will be splitting you into," she continued when no one said anything. "With Ms. Grey is Jubilee, Cecilia, Kitty and Wanda." _Oh great,_ I thought, glancing over at Wanda, who met my eyes and winked. "With Ms. Munroe is Amara, Rahne, Megan and Alison. And with me is Rogue, Irene, Emma and Mercury."

"Too bad we aren't grouped together," Megan frowned, with a small shrug.

"For meals we will all be one big group and cooking them," Ms. Munroe said over the growing chatter.

"I can't cook to save my life," Amara huffed from the chair near mine.

"We're gonna be able to go and get dressed right?" Jubilee asked, kicking out her feet that were covered in knee high stockings.

"Yes, of course," Ms. Grey laughed. "Just meet back here in 10 minutes, and we can get started."

"That sucks we're not in the same group," Amara sighed, jumping to my side when everyone moved to go to their separate rooms.

"Yeah, but we get to talk with other people," I shrugged, trying to sound optimistic.

"At least you got Jubilee in your group," Amara pointed out. "I'm stuck with that Rahne girl. Remember the girl from English that gave me the cold shoulder?"

"Trust me, that was nothing compared to the cold shoulders I've gotten," I laughed, thinking of Bobby's attitude toward me when we first met.

"I'm in your group," Megan smiled, popping up in between us.

"Why yes, yes you are," Amara nodded, taking a small side step when she looked at her eyes.

"This is gonna be so much fun," she smiled.

"Yeah, hopefully they won't have us dancing on a stage with guys walking," I laughed with a huge grin.

"Oh, don't even joke about that," Amara frowned. "Man, you're making me self-conscious. Oh, Scott's gonna probably be watching! Oh I gotta wear something amazing!" She quickly shot away from us to her bedroom.

"She likes someone named Scott?" Megan asked, her face bright with interest.

"Yeah, but don't say anything," I whispered. "She wants to keep it secret."

"Okay," she smiled, making a zipping motion. Emma snapped at Megan, so she said goodbye, and went over to her. I went to my room and just put on the first thing I grabbed from my closet that looked appropriate for a day of activities. I put on a pair of jogging pants, and t-shirt with my favourite band on it, and put my hair up.

I didn't remember them mentioning a tournament last year, or any reference to one before. It must have been something new. The boys must be going to do something similar like this right? I mean, would it be fair that we got practise and they didn't? Maybe it would since they have known each other longer than we have. Perhaps it would only uneven the playing field again if they did. I then realized I wouldn't be able to spend time with Bobby at all today. Great.

~X~

I returned to the common room a few minutes later, where most of the girl were waiting, and dressed similarly to me. I decided to go over to Ms. Grey since she was my group leader. A small dark-skinned girl with large glasses was already huddled near her. Her eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh Kitty," Ms. Grey smiled when I approached. "This is Cecilia Rayes. One of your teammates."

"H-hi," the girls stammered, adjusting her glasses.

"Hi there," I smiled in return.

"This is gonna be so much," Wanda came up from behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders. I wanted to shrug her off, but the whole point of the day was to get along, so I guess I had to learn to deal with her.

"Alright, that's everyone," Ms. Munroe announced. "To the kitchen." It wasn't that far to the kitchen. I had gone there before when I was hiding from John and the rest of the Hellfire Club, but it felt like much, much longer. The whole time Wanda talked, trying to engage me in conversation. I didn't want to be rude, so I did reply, just in very short responses.

"So I hear you and John used to be a thing," she said, highly intrigued. Of all the things she could've asked me, and it had to be that.

"Yes," I mumbled, looking straight ahead. I was walking just behind Cecilia. She walked stiffly, and robot-like. I could just imagine her eyes darting out in every direction, expecting something to jump out at her. _I wonder why she's so nervous_, I wondered.

"How was that?" Wanda asked, breaking through my thoughts.

"Can we not talk about this?" I sighed, trying to keep my temper in check.

"Oh right, of course," she replied, sounding understanding. "Talking about Ex's is a very touchy stuff. Especially after being dumped by a guy like him."

"I wasn't dumped," I shouted exasperatedly. I saw Cecilia jump in front, caught off guard by my outburst. I brought my voice down to a reasonably level. "Sorry, but it really is none of your business, and I'd like it if you stop asking me stuff."

"Of course, of course," she replied, looking straight ahead. Her face was straight, but I could see amusement in her eyes.

We arrived at the kitchen then, and when we walked in, we saw that everything was set up, ready for us to begin. An eager hand grabbed mine, and squeezed it hard.

"What are you doing?" I asked Amara, raising my eyebrows.

"We don't have to be in groups for this," she said, urging me toward the counter where a huge bowl of fruit was sitting beside a cutting board and a couple knives. "I'm sticking with you. That Megan girl keeps asking me questions. It's kind of suspicious you know what I mean? Plus I can't help but find it kind of hard to look at her eyes."

"Oh okay," I nodded understandingly. Megan and Wanda were both asking questions. Could it be related to something the HellFire Club was doing?

While Amara and I were chopping fruit, the other girls were spread out doing other things. Rogue was frying up bacon, while Jubilee watched in fascination as a girl with silver skin turned her hand into a flipper, and turned over the pancakes, all at the same stove. Rahne was making an assortment of different types of eggs, and Alison made French toast, at the second stove. Cecilia stood by the toaster, jumping every time the toast was finished, while Wanda, Emma, Megan, and Destiny sat at the table, caught up in conversation. They had set it rather quickly.

"They chose the easiest job," Amara scoffed, slamming her knife down at an apple, not even making it half way through.

"You have to cut it like this," I said, holding the apple in my left hand. I put the edge of my apple between my thumb, and my blade, and carefully slid it through the fruit.

"Oh," she blinked, trying to mimic me.

"Use your thumb to push the apple away and at the blade," I instructed watching her closely.

"Oh, this is eas- AH!" She dropped the knife and apple holding her hand gingerly with the other one. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and looked over.

"It's just a small cut," Ms. Grey said, already beside us, and wrapping up her finger with a cloth before I could even see blood drip.

"That was fast," I said, rubbing Amara's back as she started to tear up.

"You can thank Irene," she said. "Come on, I'll get you a Band-Aid." Amara nodded, and followed the teacher out of the room. I glanced over at the table, where the group of HellFire Club girls held mixed expressions about the situation. Irene, however, was smiling, and Megan looked impressed. I didn't care about the other two, so I turned back to my fruit and finished chopping them up.

~X~

Breakfast went by pretty fast. The food was great, and conversation only really consisted of small talk about classes and each others powers. Rogue shrunk away from the conversation when it took that turn. I learned that the girl with silver skin's name was Mercury, and that she could reform her body into any shape she wanted. I thought it was really cool, but found it a bit scary how sometimes she had a hard time switching back to her original form. I also learned of Emma's abilities, which made me uncomfortable to be around her. She could read minds, just like Professor Xavier, but I doubted she held the same principals as he did about privacy.

The morning went by pretty well. The first thing we did was play some normal group games, like charades, and a couple I have never heard of before. The one game was called Horseshoe, and we sat in a horseshoe shape line. We were each given a number in the order we sat. The first person called out a number, and then that person had to call out another number, and so on. If you messed up, you had to move to the end of the line, and everyone after you moved up a number. We also played a giant game of twister. It wasn't a mat, but a giant blow up platform that we used in the Danger Room. It was fun, but I was one of the first people to lose their balance and fall. It was really close between Rogue, Mercury, Rahne and Emma, but Ms. Munroe said it was time to move on, since they went at it for almost and hour.

After that, the Twister game was put away, and we were separated into our teams for a relay race. The course was different for everyone, and was molded so we could use our abilities. I was third on my team, and we got separated amongst the twists and turns of the labyrinth-like course. I wasn't sure how I could use my power. Sure I could run right through all the walls, but what if the exit wasn't straight ahead, but to the right? Or the left? And what if Jubilee wasn't straight ahead either, but to the right or left. I'd just have to follow the course right to make sure I didn't miss my teammate and screw up or chances of winning.

I was standing in a corner surrounded by three walls. It was technically at a dead end, but I could make a choice to run through one of the three walls. Which one, I had no idea. I waited patiently, not able to hear anything that was happening anywhere else in the maze. Wanda was before me, and would be passing it off to me. Her mood swung a lot through the day. She'd be giggling one second, and then be giving death glares to the other girls. I wasn't sure what her deal was, and I didn't really care, just as long as she didn't pull another 'stunt' like the last one again.

I heard footsteps, and I readied myself to receive the baton. The footsteps disappeared, and I strained my ears, hoping to hear them again. Instead a heard a low curse, then the wall in beside me blew up. I was startled, and went into phase mode reflexively. Pieces of flying debris flew through me and hit the opposite wall. I stared in shock, my entire body shaking.

"Sorry about that," I turned and stared at Wanda, who stood where the chunk of wall had once been, twirling the baton between her fingers. I didn't know what to say, so I just kept staring. "I only meant to make a little whole, or at least let the wall crumble, not cause it to blow up." She held the baton out for me to take, but I couldn't move. I could've been crushed by the rubble. I could've ended up in the hospital, or even ended up dead, and she was just shrugging it off.

"Take it!" She snapped, flailing it in my face.

"You could've killedme!" I shouted, finding my voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?" she asked, her eyes widening in confusion. "I kept hitting dead ends, so I had to make my own path."

" But you could've have _killed_ me," I emphasized. I was still shaking, and could've believe how upset I felt.

"But I didn't, so all is good," Wanda sighed, sounding irritated. "Now take the baton and go!" She tried to grab my hand and put the baton in it, but her hand went right through it. "Dude, stop playing with me, and just take it. I'm sorry okay." Her words didn't sound at all true, and the irritated expression on her face didn't help her case. I honestly tried then to take the baton, but my hand went right through it again. I was still shaking, and my heart was still pounding, keeping me in my phased state.

"Seriously, what the hell is your problem!" Wanda shouted, anger flaring in her eyes.

"Stop shouting at me!" I screamed, covering my face. "I can't stop, I just can't!" I was afraid I would start falling through the ground if I didn't get back to my normal state soon.

"What's going on over here?" I heard Ms. Munroe's voice come from above us, and heard her lightly touch down on the ground.

"She won't stop passing the baton through her hand," Wanda complained. "She's being stubborn and won't take it and go."

"Did you break down this wall?" Ms. Grey asked, stepping through the destruction.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "You said we could use our powers to get through this thing. That was the only rule."

"The another rule was to not cause anyone harm. It is apparent that you only paid attention to the one," Ms. Munroe said, narrowing her eyes at her before turning to me. "Are you okay Kitty? What's wrong?"

"I can't...I can't go back to my solid form," I stammered, whipping away my tears on my shirt. "The wall blew up, and I phased through it, but I haven't stopped since."

"A defence mechanism perhaps," Ms. Grey said thoughtfully. "If so, you'll stay in this state until the threat is completely gone." The two teachers turned to Wanda.

"Me?" Her voice jumped an octave. "I'm a threat?"

"Go continue the race," Ms. Munroe ordered. "And don't try to take down any walls." Wanda opened up her mouth to argue, but shut it again after receiving a look from both teachers. She scowled, but continued on my leg of the race.

"Okay Kitty," Ms. Grey said calmly. "Just relax now. Take deep breathes. She's not here anymore, and no one's gonna hurt you." I nodded slowly, taking in deep breaths._ I'm safe, _I told myself._ I'm perfectly safe. She's gone, and I have two powerful teachers with me. Nothing can hurt me._My heart calmed down, and my chest stopped hurting. I was relived to feel Ms. Grey put a hand on my shoulder.

"There you go," she smiled. "Well, you learned something new about yourself didn't you? You phase as a defence mechanism. We'll have to work on it though, so you can unphase yourself right away.

"O-okay," I nodded, hugging myself tightly.

"Come on, let's go find out who won the race," Ms. Munroe suggested, taking off into the air. I stared in amazement. I wish I could fly, I thought. So many people here can.

"She's able to control wind, which allows her to lift herself," Ms. Munroe said as if reading my mind. "I'm able to 'fly' as well too, because I have telekinesis."

"Really?" I replied.

"Yes," she nodded, "but for now I think we should walk."

"Agreed," I smiled.

~X~

My team had come in third. Wanda wasn't the only one who had the idea of knocking down the walls around her. Rogue had actually punched a wall down. Yes, punch. Another of her superpowers was super strength. And I also wasn't the only victim of flying rubble. She punched in a wall that nearly hit Cecilia, just as Wanda was giving her the baton. Cecilia was able to call up a force field that protected her and Wanda from the pieces of debris. This disqualified Rogue's team for interfering with another, and so my team was third by default. That ticked Emma off a lot, and if it weren't for the teachers standing there, she was gonna cuss Rogue out. That's what Megan said anyways during lunch.

She sat with Amara, Jubilee, Alison, Rogue and I. Instead of cooking our food, it was already made for us. There were platters of little sandwiches, and bowls of delicious soups set up on the counter. I helped myself to some tomato soup and turkey sandwiches. Amara had a small bowl of soup of broccoli, and stared enviously at my sandwiches.

"Just have one," I sighed, holding one up in her face.

"Can't," she sighed. "You know I'm vegan now."

"And why'd you do that?" Rogue asked, making a face. "Not for some boy I hope." Amara averted her eyes and sipped form her spoon.

"It _is_ a boy," Jubilee giggled, poking her. "Which one? Who is he?"

"Is it that Scott fella you hang out with?" Rogue asked, with a smirk.

"I-I hangout with other guys other than him," she stammered, her face burning up.

"Yeah, a hippo and a blue devil," Alison snickered. "Obviously you'd go for the normal looking one."

"There's nothing wrong with Fred and Kurt," I protested, taking offence to what she called them.

"Yeah, physical appearances aren't everything," Megan agreed. "Especially when you're a mutant."

"I know, I know," Alison shrugged, "but come on. When you think logically about it, which of the three would you automatically be attracted to?"

"She has a point," Jubilee mumbled, shoving the rest of her sandwich.

"That's why I don't judge by physical appearances," Rogue said proudly.

"Oh that is such a lie," I spoke up, glaring. "What about Remy?"

"Oh...right," she sighed, scratching her head. "Sorry ya'll. I take that back."

"But you can't help but be a little judgemental when it comes to looks," Alison shrugged. "Looks at least have some influence on who you like."

"But back to Amara here," Jubilee interrupted, looking over at her. "You _do_ like this Scott guy right?" Amara only bowed her head, allowing her hair to cover half of her red face.

"Aw, that's cute," Megan grinned. "He is really cute."

"Are you kidding?" Alison chuckled. "That guy is hot."

"But you went vegan for him?" Rogue asked, leaning in. "Darlin' you can't be changin' yourself for a guy. Guys come and go. You'll be stuck with yourself for ever. And if you change into something you despise, you have to deal with it."

"Thanks _mom_," Alison said, rolling her eyes. "So she changed her eating habits a bit. Let the girl do what she wants. It's not like he'll take a second look at her."

"What?" Amara shouted, looking hurt.

"No offence," Alison said, leaning on her elbow, "but you're obviously not his type." Our table fell silent, all eyes fell on Amara, who was still staring down at her bowl. I heard her sniff, just before she jumped from her seat, and head for the door.

"Amara!" I called, quickly following. I could hear the other girls scold Alison as I left the kitchen.


	5. Chapter Five

_AN: I'm gonna draw the new characters for you guys so you know what they look like, but I'm not sure who to start with. So I added a poll on my profile for you to vote on to help me in my decision. I'll make them in order of preference. You can vote twice. I only put up the girls for now, because there are boy characters I still haven't introduced yet._

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Five

Amara didn't run far. She just ran down the hallway and hid in an empty classroom. I stepped through the threshold, and found her sitting on the teacher's desk, her face buried in her hands. Her body shook lightly with soft sobs.

"Amara," I said quietly, sitting down beside her. "Don't listen to what Alison said. You know it's not true."

"B-but it is," she sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of hand. "I'm not his type. If I was, he would talk to me more, you know?"

"Not necessarily," I shrugged. "You can be someone's type and not talk to them at all." I thought back to how Bobby and I still didn't talk much. We did. About little things when we had time together, like school, and the group I hung out with. I didn't know anything about his friends now that I thought about it.

"Then what do I do?" she sniffed, looking up at me with swollen eyes.

"Well, if you want to be with this guy, I guess you gotta put in some effort," I shrugged. "Not in the way you're doing now I mean. Instead of trying to catch his eye by eating the same things as him, and changing who you are, just talk to him. Go up to him and strike up a conversation. I'm sure he'll notice now how you haven't before, and maybe it'll start something."

"You think?" she asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"It's worth a shot," I smiled, "and if he doesn't take notice, then he's not worth it. You can always find someone else. There's plenty of guys at this school."

"Yeah," she sniffed. "I guess you could be right, but you know what would really catch his eye? Me becoming goth or something." I mentally slapped myself in the face. She couldn't be serious could she? When it came to clothes, I don't think Scott was the kind to notice, but she'd catch the eye everyone else, boy and girl, in the school.

"Um, think about it a little more," I said, patting her on the back. "You may wanna reconsider that a bit. But come on, you haven't eat anything yet. Let's get some food in you."

"O-okay," she nodded hesitantly, jumping off the desk.

~X~

When Amara and I returned to the kitchen. The only people left were Jubilee and Rogue.

"Where'd everyone else go?" Amara asked, looking around in confusion.

"The teachers allowed us a couple hours for a break," Jubilee smiled. "So we're allowed to roam free for awhile."

"Sweet," I smiled. "Maybe we should go find the boys."

"With us of course," Rogue added, already on her feet. "You don't think we wait for ya'll just to be left behind."

"Yeah, and I wanna get a look at this Scott fella," Jubilee winked playfully. Amara's face turned bright red again.

"Just don't worry about what Alison said," Rogue said, putting her arm around her. "She just likes to run her mouth. You are beautiful, and if you believe it, you can have any guy you want."

"_Including_ Scott," I added.

"But...he never seems to notice me," Amara mumbled.

"Well, we just need to build up your confidence," Rogue winked. "Then he'll be like a bee on honey."

"Oh, I sought you'd all be gone by now," spoke a thick french accent. Remy walked into the room from the other door, picking up the platters from the table.

"Hey, did you make the food we ate for lunch?" I asked, not surprised at all.

"Oui," he smiled, brightly.

"Well shut my mouth," Rogue blinked in surprise. "Didn't peg you as a cook."

"I'm a lot of things Chere," he winked, placing the dishes into the sink.

"It was delicious," I beamed. "Thanks Remy."

"Yeah, I have to say the sandwiches were _magnifique,_" Jubilee giggled.

"I didn't have any...," Amara mumbled under her breath. I patted her on the back thoughtfully.

"You think you could make a meaty sandwich for my friend here?" I asked, skipping over to the counter. "She didn't get one."

"O-oh, b-but I ca-"

"Oh, stopping being a mule, Sugar" Rogue huffed, pushing her toward the table. "You need to eat."

"Sure I can," he nodded, opening the fridge. Amara played with her hair as Remy quickly assembled a thick sandwich filled with vegetables, condiments, and best of all, meat.

"Bon apetit," Remy smiled, placing it in front of her. Amara hesitated. The look on her face said she didn't want to, but the look in her eyes showed how much she did.

"Hun, if you don't eat that right now, I'll be all over you like white on rice," Rogue threatened.

"Don't need to scare the girl now," Jubilee chuckled. "Come on Amara. A guy can't judge you on your eating habits. Well, unless you don't eat at all or you eat like...Fred." I couldn't help but chuckle.

"He's gotten a little better," I said, with a big smile. "He only eats three bowls of noodles instead of four now."

"He's _always hungry _isn't he?" Rogue asked, lifting an eyebrow. "He's lucky the school makes a large abundance of food. He'd sure eat off of a sore toe if they didn't."

"A toe?" Amara repeated, looking disgusted.

"Yes, and if you don't wanna be suckin' on mine, eat up." Amara glanced at the sandwich one more time, before scooping up a slice and shoving the whole thing in her mouth.

"Don't stuff yourself now," I gasped, caught off guard.

"It's soooo good!" Amara gushed, chomping loudly with her mouth wide open.

"Now that wasn't so bad now was it?" Rogue smiled. "No need to get over dramatic. It's just food. And food you love apparently."

"His food is amazing," I nodded, giving an approving look at Remy. He was busy washing the dishes.

"I want more," Amara beamed, finishing the last of her sandwich.

"We don't have time for more," Jubilee laughed. "Gotta let your food digest. Besides, we're suppose to go find this Scott guy."

"And Kitty's man as well," Amara added wit ha cheeky grin.

"What's this now?" Rogue asked. "You got yourself a guy?"

"U-um, w-well," I stammered, getting beet red.

"It's Bobby Drake is it not?" Remy asked, looking over his shoulder. "Sorry to butt in, but I did see you holding hands with him the other day."

"How could I have not noticed?" Jubilee wondered. "Or Alison for that matter. She always notices stuff like that."

"Well, it was a work in progress, but it finally happened," Amara said brightly.

"S-stop it," I mumbled, lightly punching Amara in the shoulder.

"Well you can tell us all about it as we go find him," Rogue grinned, pushing me toward the door.

"Thanks for the food Remy," Amara bowed slightly, running after us.

~X~

"Hey Kurt!" Amara greeted, peaking over his shoulder. He was so caught off guard, he all but vanished from his seat.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded, grabbing his chest. "You _do_ know this is a library and you're suppose to be quiet."

"Sorry," she said, scratching her head. "What are you doing?"

"Studying of course," he replied, motioning to the books and papers on the desk.

"It's only the first week of school," Rogue said, putting her hands on her hips. "You crazy?"

"No, that's crazy," he pointed across the room to a desk that was piled high with books around the edges, like a fortress.

"Who's behind that?" I asked, looking puzzled.

"One of the new girls," Kurt said, flipping through his book. "She's had that table claimed since the moment she got settled in. I came down here after I had moved my stuff in, wanting to find myself a nice read, and found that table, exactly like that. It just has new books replacing old ones."

"What is she trying to prove?" Rogue asked, floating over to her.

"Yeah, especially on a day like today," Jubilee nodded.

"What's so special about today?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well today is a girl bonding day," Amara replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "We cooked and played games, and had a relay race. And now we're gonna be having a soccer game."

"Really?" he said, blinking in surprise. "And how come I wasn't informed of this?"

"We're _informing_ you now," I giggled. "We were told this last minute actually as well. It's suppose to get us ready for this school-wide tournament coming up or something."

"Ah yes, I heard of that," he nodded. "They are waiting for Professor X to come back from the hospital before they start it though. It was all his idea to begin with, and it's only right to wait for him."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" I asked, feeling really concerned. "I mean, Magneto said he'd come back in a couple months, but is it really gonna take that long?"

"He did take a very big hit," Kurt reminded me. My mind flashed back to Alex releasing that big ball of energy. I phased through it with Bobby, and it hit a gazebo, causing it to collapse and fall on top of Professor Xavier. Was there something I could've done? Could I have somehow phased the energy itself so I could've saved the professor as well as Bobby? Probably not. I could've gotten myself killed, and there was no way I could've known Xavier was there.

"Kitty," Amara said, shaking my shoulder.

"Sorry, what was that," I asked, bringing myself to the present.

"I said, why don't you go visit him?" she smiled. "I mean, sine you and Kurt knew him, as well as Fred and Scott. You should go see him in the hospital. I'm sure the teachers would let you if you had a chaperone."

"I think that would be a splendid idea," Kurt grinned. "And Bobby could come as well."

"What?" I asked, taken aback by the look on his face.

"I finally put the pieces together," he said playfully. "Took me longer than it should have, but you my dear are seeing Bobby Drake."

"Yes, Kurt I am," I nodded, blushing.

"Well, that was just useless," Rogue sighed, returning to us.

"Who was it?" Jubilee asked, fluffing her short hair.

"Cecilia," she replied. "The girl I nearly crushed in the relay race. I apologized again for that by the way. She's jumpier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I made sure she could see me coming, but she was so drawn in by her studying that she still jumped out of her seat when I said hey."

"Well, if you nearly crushed her, I don't blame her," Kurt shrugged. Rogue gave him a side glare.

"So have you seen Scott?" Jubilee asked outright.

"Um, I believe he's outside at the basketball court," Kurt answered with a questioning look. "I think Bobby's there too. A bunch of the guys play on the weekend."

"Not you?" Amara asked, already inching toward the door.

"I usually play a game or too," he shrugged. "But I feel like getting homework done today."

"Well, you should definitely come see our game," I smiled. "It's in about an hour."

"I will definitely be there," he nodded. "Have fun." The four of us, with Amara in the lead, ran out of the library as fast as we could.

~X~

Just as Kurt had said, they were out in the basketball court behind the school.

"Holy crap!" Amara squealed, digging her nails into my arm. "They're play shirts and skins!" The four of us quickly hid behind a bench and slowly peered over the top. It was true. Half the guys were shirtless.

"Eeee! Scott's on the skins team!" She squealed again.

"Shut your yap or they'll hear us," Rogue hissed, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. I looked closely and tried to identify the players. Blob was there for sure, and he was a shirt. I saw Scott, who definitely was a skin. I recognized Jamie from the first day I moved in, and there were four of him on the court, two shirts, two skins. I didn't recognize the other shirt player. He had blonde hair that was gelled into spikes. My face went blazing red when I saw the other skin player.

"Oh la la, Kitty's man is shirtless," Jubilee giggled, poking me.

"Why hello again," the four of us jumped at the sound of someone behind us. We spun around and saw Remy, who was looking down at us with an amused smile.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue demanded, giving him an evil glare.

"To play basketball of course," he shrugged. "Had to finish cleaning up the kitchen first."

"Oh, cool...," Jubilee nodded. I hid my face, which was still beat red.

"Would it make it easier for you girls if I walked over with you?" he asked, smirking.

"We don't need your help for anything," Rogue snapped, jumping to her feet and getting up in his face.

"Yes please!" Amara shouted right after, jumping up too.

"Being this close Chere, a man would think you were trying to get a kiss," Remy teased.

"Yeah right," Rogue scoffed. "I'd rather eat turds with a toothpick."

"Ew," Jubilee gagged.

"Go with us Remy!" Amara begged, jumping in between the two of them. "I'm too scared to go over there."

"We don't need him," Rogue insisted.

"I will be happy to," he smiled. "This way ladies." I could see Rogue grinding her teeth together in irritation, but she followed the rest of us as we walked with Remy to the court.

"I'm here," Remy announced, "and I brought spectators."

"About time," Scott said, throwing the ball from half-court and missing the net completely.

"Hey Kitty, hey Amara," Fred waved.

"Hey Freddy," Amara waved back. I tried my best not to blush, but I couldn't help it. I just smiled and waved at Bobby.

"This your girlfriend?" the guy I didn't recognize asked. He came up behind Bobby and put an arm around his shoulders.

" Yes," he said shrugging him off. _AHHH!, _I screamed silently. _He classifies me as his girlfriend. That means he's my boyfriend. Yay!_

"Whoa, seriously?" he blinked in surprise. "Never pictured you getting one." Bobby gave him a death glare.

"I'm Kitty," I said, holding my arms behind my back.

"Oh right, the first girl to come to Xavier's," he nodded. "I'm Ray."

" Where were you at lunch?" Bobby asked, giving me an unexpected hug. _Ahhh, I'm hugging his bare chest! _He was warm, probably from running around, and kinda sweaty too. Ick. He then noticed it too.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized stepping back. "Forgot I'm all sweaty."

"It's okay," I giggled lightly. "We're having this girl student bonding day thing,"

"And so far we've cooked breakfast, played various games, run a relay race, and had lunch made by dear Remy here," Jubilee listed.

"The was especially delicious," Amara nodded. "We had soup and sandwiches. Mine was big and meaty." She rubbed her stomach proudly.

"You're making me hungry," Fred chuckled, "and I just ate."

"Do you know what goes into processed meat?" Scott asked, looking disgusted.

"No, and I don't care," she snapped, glaring at him. "I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters." Rogue gave her a discreet thumbs up, and wink. Scott was taken aback by her outburst.

"What else do you have planned for your special girls day?" Ray asked, finding the idea very humorous.

"We're having a soccer game soon," Rogue answered. "You guys are invited to watch. The more people cheerin' the better."

" You mean _all_ the girls in the school are playing," he asked, eyes wide. "Woo, time to check out the options."

"We are not a flavor of ice cream buddy," Amara snapped, poking him hard. "And half the girls have powers that can kick your butt." Now I was surprised. What had gotten into her?  
"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His were hands suddenly charged with blue bolts of energy.

"Really," she glared, hands covered with fire.

"Okay there Sugar," Rogue said, coming between the two. "Now I know you don't me to pull my power ya. So just take a couple steps back."

"How much longer do we even have?" Kitty asked.

"Um..." Jubilee looked at her watch and counted mentally in her head. "I think we should go get going actually. We're to meet the teachers in about 15 minutes."

"Well we don't wanna be late," Rogue stated, grabbing Amara's arm and pulling her along. "Let's go Sugar."

"You gonna come?" I asked, looking up at Bobby expectantly.

"Of course," he smiled softly.

"But Remy just got here," Jamie complained.

"Well let's make the next 15 minutes count," Ray said, passing the ball to him. It hit his stomach hard, causing him to flinch. "Now make another copy of yourself. Remy, you're shirt. We're getting creamed man."

"Sure thing," he nodded.

"See ya later," Bobby said, kissing me lightly.

"Bye," I smiled, following the other girls who were already walking away.

"Maybe next game you can let me join in?" Jubilee asked, with a big grin.

"That would make it easier on me," Jamie said, splitting into two.

"We'll see," Ray said, narrowing his eyes at Amara. She stuck her tongue out at him before turning her back on him.

"Bye Freddy!" she shouted, waving her hand.

"Too bad Rogue," Jubilee giggled, nudging her with her elbow. "Remy didn't get put on the skins team."

"Like I'd wanna see that," Rogue huffed, rolling her eyes. "And what got into you Sugar?"

"I have no idea," Amara replied, lightly slapping her cheeks. "I just...felt irritated."

"I'll say," Jubilee laughed, putting her arm over her shoulder. "That sure got Scott's attention."

"And Ray's," I added. "Why'd you start with him?"

"Well like I said, he made it sound like we were ice cream flavours," she shrugged.

"I agree with you on that," Rogue nodded. "but no need to pull out the big guns."

"Oh well," she shrugged. "What's done is done. Let's go play some soccer!"

~X~

The stands were fuller than I expected. It's like every single guy in the school showed up.

"There's Scott!" Amara squealed, pointing to a section of the crowd. I saw Fred first. He was right in the front, with a big bag of popcorn in his hands. I then saw Kurt sitting next to him. A few rows up, I saw Bobby sitting with Ray, Remy and Jamie...and Jamie...and Jamie. I suddenly became very nervous, and pulled at the bottom of my shirt.

"We'll be great," Amara said reassuringly. "Don't worry. I don't think he's feels for you will change if you fall flat on your face."

"Thanks," I smirked, rolling my eyes.

"Gather around ladies," Ms. Munroe called. I jogged over to the centre of the field and joined the other girls that made a circle around her and Mystique. "Alright, we split you up into two teams. White and black. The following team is white, so when I say your name, take a black jersey from Mystique. Cecilia, Jubilee, Wanda, Megan, Rahne, and Alison."

"Yes!" Amara cheered. "We're on the same team!"

"Yeah, we are," I nodded in satisfaction. But as Ms. Munroe listed the rest of the names, my stomach twisted.

"Ms. Grey, Amara, Mercury, Rogue, Kitty, and Emma are team black," she finished. Great, I thought, glancing at Emma as she took her jersey, and gave it a disapproving look.

"You think she's a ball hog?" Amara whispered, putting her jersey on.

"Don't know," I shrugged. "But she'll probably only pass to Ms. Grey."

"Now for the rules," Mystique spoke up over the chattering. "Standard soccer rules apply, but also, no powers."

"Aw," a few of the other girls sighed.

"Sorry, but some of you still don't know how to use your powers properly," Ms. Munroe explained, "and we don't want any harm to come to anyone."

"Not that my power would be useful," Amara huffed. "What can I do? Turn the field into a lava lake?"

"Can you really do that?" I asked, blinking.

"I did it once," she shrugged. "Remember I told you a ended up setting my house on fire? I guess if I concentrated enough. That'd be freaky."

"Yeah, remind me never to get you mad," I chuckled lightly. A coin was flipped and our team won. Emma took charge and started in the centre. Amara rolled her eyes at me, and I shrugged. Oh well.

I wasn't the most athletic person, and neither was Amara. In fact, besides Cecilia on the other team, we were the least athletic. And Emma turned out to be a ball hog. She only passed it to Ms. Grey when she needed to, but she was very good at moving around the opposite team. Ms. Grey, fortunately, was generous, and passed it to us often enough. Amara was stubborn and refused to pass it to Emma at all, even when she was in a tight spot, and the ball ended up getting taken away. Rogue was stubborn too, and even once stole the ball from Emma. This angered her and a fight broke out on the field. They were pulled apart by Ms. Grey using her telekinesis. Rogue won big time. Emma's nose was bleeding badly, and Mystique had to rush her to the infirmary. Even though Rogue didn't start it, she still got punished, and kicked out of the game. She was frustrated, and flew back to the school. We ended up receiving Jubilee so the teams were evened out again.

"The highlight of the game," Amara sighed, sipping her water bottle. "Rogue did us proud."

"She was told not to use her powers," Jubilee said, running her fingers through her hair.

"She didn't," I replied, lifting an eyebrow. "She only punched her in the face a couple times."

"Yeah, Emma's just a wimp who can't take it," Amara snickered.

"Well, not only can Rogue fly, but she has super strength too," she explained. "And she can't help but use her inhuman strength when she does things. So that swing on Emma was very hard."

"Oh," Amara and I breathed, looking down at our bottles.

"She's not gonna be in _that_ much trouble is she?" Amara asked, full of concern.

"She's only kicked out of the rest of the game," Ms. Grey replied, coming over to us. "And perhaps a couple days of detention."

"Yikes," I said under my breath.

"Emma should get worse since she started the fight," Amara huffed, scowling.

"She'll get her punishment," Ms. Grey said, making a face. "Don't you worry about it."

"Can I be in the field this round?" Mercury asked, tying her long red hair into a ponytail.

"Of course," Ms. Grey nodded. "I'll be goalie this time around. That is, if you all agree to share the ball."

"Agreed," all of us answered in unison.

~X~

"We won!" Amara cheered, tackling me to the ground after Ms. Munroe blew the final whistle. Jubilee joined the pile, and Mercury elegantly sat on top of all of us.

"Great job ladies," Ms. Grey smiled, clapping her hands. "Come on, let's go shake their hands."

"Good game guys," Megan grinned, shaking our hands excitedly. "Sorry I ran into you."

"It's alright," Amara shrugged. "I'm a tough cookie."

"It was fun," I smiled. "And tiring."

"Yeah, I'm so used to using my wings a lot, my legs are out of shape," she giggled.

"Megan!" Wanda called, her arm hooked around Irene's.

"Oh, I gotta go see how Emma's doing," she said, bowling slightly. "I'll see you guys later."

"Sure thing," I nodded, waving as she left.

"Good job," Amara smiled brightly, approaching Rahne. "You were very agile out there. You must play a lot."

"I run a lot," she replied monotone. She ignored Amara's outstretched hand and walked away. "I'm not gonna get anywhere with her," she sighed as I approached.

"Don't worry," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you will one day."

"Let's go get some food," she grinned. "I'm starved. Maybe I'll challenge Fred to an eating contest."

"Do you have a death wish?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'll die from eating before he gets half full."

"I just really want to eat something big," she giggled.

"I think she may actually turn _into_ Fred," Jubilee laughed. "Remy's food has turned you around."

"Yes it has," she nodded, propping her fists on her hips. "Now let's go get the guys and eat. You wanna come Jubilee?"

"No, that's okay," she smiled. "I'm gonna go hang with Alison."

"Okay, come on Kitty," she demanded, pulling my arm. "Let's go see your man."

"What about yours?" I asked, following obediently.

"Well, he's not yet," Amara shrugged.

"Yet?" I smirked.

"Yeah," she giggled.

~X~

_AN: Thanx for reading, and please review! :)_

_No need to tell me there's mistakes in here, I know :P_


	6. Chapter Six

AN: Here's chapter 6! :)

I actually took the poll off of my profile, and decided I'm just gonna draw them in order of my preference, since no one is voting. I'll have three characters drawn by the end of the week.

Enjoy!

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Six

We had decided to take Amara's advice and go see Professor Xavier. I went to Magneto and asked him what he thought of it, and he thought it was a wonderful idea. He allowed Fred, Kurt, Scott, Bobby and I to go visit him. Kurt didn't want to come because he would stick out like a sore thumb, but we got him into a disguise of baggy pants, which we tucked his tail into, and a jacket with a big hood he used to hide most of his face with, and sunglasses hid the rest. Amara was even allowed to go. She said she didn't feel right going, since she didn't know him at all, bit Magneto told her that it was ridiculous, and that Xavier would love to meet one of his new students. Magneto accompanied us to the hospital, making sure we got on the right bus and to the right place.

"I'll let you students visit him," he said. "Charles has seen too much of me already I probably bored him."

"Where's his room in?" I asked, looking up at the high building.

"He's on the fourth floor, room 612," he replied, heading down the street. "I'll be back in an hour. Don't wander anywhere."

"Yes sir," Fred nodded, giving him a salute.

"You sure I should be here?" Amara mumbled, holding the vase of flowers she had bought the professor.

"Of course," Kurt smiled, putting a hand on her reassuringly. "The professor is going to love to meeting you." The six of us headed into the building, my arm looped around Bobby's after being poked a gazillion times by Amara to do so. Some of the people inside stopped to stare at Fred, who brought up the rear of our group. He didn't seem to notice though, and smiled back in politeness. We had a bit of a problem at the elevator. It couldn't hold all six of us at once because of Fred's size, so the four of us went up while Kurt offered to wait for another one with him. None of the nurses paid us any attention as we searched for Professor X's room.

"612," Bobby announced, pointing to a door across the hall. The four of us peaked in, wanting to make sure it was the right room before charging in. It was a single room, fit to accommodate one patient. A bald man sat in a wheelchair, facing the window.

"Hello children," he spoke before any of us could. Scott walked in first, followed by the rest of us, Amara clutching the flowers a little too tightly.

"Hello professor," Scott greeted, shoving his hands in his pockets. The man turned his chair around and his face held a bright smile.

"This is indeed a surprise," Professor X said, sounding very content. "I was surprised when Erik called to tell me I would have visitors. This was more than I expected."

"We're here too," Fred chimed, barely fitting through the doorway. As soon as Kurt was in the room he removed his hood and sunglasses.

"Scott, Bobby, Kitty, Fred, Kurt, I'm so happy you came," he nodded. His eyes then fell on Amara, who was staring wide-eyed at him. "And you must be a new student."

"Yes," she chirped, her voice higher than usual. "I'm Amara. Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla." Wow, that's a long name, I thought blinking in surprise.

"I'm sure Amara will do," Xavier laughed. "Are those for me?"

"Yes," she nodded viciously, and held them out to him. "O-or should I put them on the table?"

"The table please," he smiled. "Thank you very much."

"How are you feeling?" Bobby asked. "Magneto said that you won't be back for a couple months."

"Well, I've already been gone a long time," He chuckled. "I've done a quite a lot of healing and I should be back by the end of the month. Erik worries too much."

"And it is true...," I said in a low voice. "You can't walk anymore." My statement laid an awkward air in the room.

"No I cannot," Xavier confirmed. "But just because my legs don't work doesn't mean I'll be any less of the man I was. Nor the headmaster. Have you been keeping up with your schoolwork?"

"Yes," Amara squeaked. The rest of us nodded in response. I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about the whole incident. Maybe there was something I could've done? Maybe I could've touched him and his powers could've went through that gazebo, and then the Professor would've been okay. I could've saved more than one person that day instead of just Bobby.

"_Nonsense child,_ " Xavier's voice rung in my head, and stared at him with shocked eyes. "_I'm sorry to intrude, but I must put your thoughts at ease. There was no way you could've known I was there near the gazebo. I know you could've did what you did with Rogue, but your powers are still unpredictable, and Alex was too dangerous to get near at the time. And saving Bobby was a very brave thing to do. You should be proud. Not everyone can think on their toes._

"_But I still feel I could've did more,_" I replied silently.

"_But what you did was enough,_" he said softly. "_and I am proud of you for it._" I smiled at him, and he smiled as well. Amara caught sight of it and looked between us curiously.

"That's good to hear," Xavier spoke aloud. "So how does it feel to finally have other female students living with you Miss. Pryde?"

"Um, things have become...interesting...," I hesitated with that answer. Sure it was nice not being stared at all the time, but the whole mishap with Rogue, Wanda's prank, and Emma's instinctive hatred for me and the others. I'd say interesting was just the right word.

"The other teachers have been keeping me informed yes," he nodded, resting his chin in his hand. "And interesting is the right word to use. There haven't been that many incidents concerning powers in a long time."

"I like having Amara around though," I added, grinning at her. She smiled back proudly.

"Those two are practically inseparable," Kurt sighed, scratching his head. "Where there's one, the other is nearby."

"I like having Amara around too," Fred chuckled. "She's really nice, and she shares her leftovers with me."

"She's made a fine addition to your group then?" Xavier asked, looking enthused. "Ms. Grey did a good job recruiting other female mutants to our school. How's Alex doing by the way Scott?"

"He's fine," he replied blandly. Looking out the window. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I could tell that even though they didn't get along that he still cared, and didn't wanna show it because that would go against his usually attitude toward him. I couldn't imagine hating my sisters, or even just putting up a front. It must be tiring for him.

"What exactly happened to him professor?" Kurt asked, a concern look on his face. "From what I heard, it's as if he reached the Omega Level." Xavier closed his eyes thoughtfully, and breathed out a long sigh.

"I believe so," he spoke at last. "His power was...incredible. It felt his mind. It was...nothing I've ever felt before. It was powerful. More powerful than either Erik nor I have ever known."

"Are you able to tell which of us is capable of reaching the Omega level?" Kurt wondered, tapping his chin. "That way you could give them special training in order to better prepare them for when they reach it. So that they don't cause incidents like the last."

"That's the thing," Xavier smiled sadly. "We _don't _know. And if we did, I'm not sure we'd be able to properly prepare them for it. It was only theoretical until last year, and we have no proper understanding of it. And as shown, power at that level is uncontrollable."

"Maybe one day though?" Amara asked, looking hopeful. "Maybe one day people who can reach the Omega level can control?|

"One day indeed," he nodded, looking pleased with her optimism.

"Professor!" A voice rang from the doorway. We all turned and stared at the person standing there with a big teddy bear in his hands.

"Quicksilver?" Scott scoffed, glaring at him.

"If there's one rat, the rest are nearby," Bobby mumbled.

"I don't recall you asking permission to come here," Kurt said, not looking pleased either.

"Of course we did," Wanda said, stepping into view. "We asked Magneto, and we came with Mystique."

"It was our idea first," Amara huffed.

"No need to make it a contest," Wanda giggled, waving her hand. "We're all here to visit the beloved headmaster. Well, co-headmaster."

"I'd say it's out turn to visit with him," another voice called from out in the hall, and it made my spine crawl. _John._

"We didn't even have that long!" Amara protested, her hands clenched into fists.

"It's alright Amara," Xavier said calmly. "I'm sure Erik will be waiting for you. It was lovely that you came to visit."

"Take care professor," Bobby let go of my hand in order to go up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Xavier patted his hand and smiled. I could tell they exchanged silent words. Words I was curious about. Our party filed out into the hallway, and were shocked to see what we did. Emma, John, Megan, Irene, Forge, Longshot and Angel all stood there with a ton of gifts ranging from chocolates to flowers to stuffed animals. They totally out did themselves, and Amara, which pissed her right off. I had to quickly push her down the hall. All the guys, except Fred, gave them glares as we passed, and the Hellfire club, save Forge, Megan and Irene, returned them.

"Talk about over kill!" Amara shouted once we were in the elevator. "Who do they think they are?"

"Xavier loved your flowers," Scott sighed. "The simple things are the best right?" Amara bit her lip. She looked like she didn't know how to argue with that, because it held truth. I'm sure the professor would be just as happy with the flowers she gave him, as he would the many presents the Hellfire Club would give him.

~X~

Our table had gotten fuller that week. Rogue had joined us on Monday, and by the middle of the week, Jubilee was sitting with us. Mercury had even joined us for one day. Bobby only joined us for a couple of meals, but staid away most of the time. It worried me a bit, but Amara and the other girls would reassure me that he probably had other things to do, or even just eat lunch with the people he used to before. Scott wasn't too thrilled about how crowded the table was getting, but didn't voice his opinion on it too much. I was surprised in the lack of interest Amara had shown in him as well. She barely even talked to the guy anymore.

Alex had returned to class alright. I didn't have any classes with him, but I had seen him walking down the hall with John and Longshot. He looked...normal. Like he never reached the Omega level, and the incident never happened. He was the same cocky goofball, just like Longshot. It was good to see him better, but I couldn't help but flashback to that day. He didn't look like himself at all, and it was very frightening. I was glad to see he was alright though.

"Hey guys!" Jubilee shouted running into the common room.

"What's up hun?" Rogue asked, brushing her hair with some difficulty. You'd think having super strength would make getting those naps out easier.

"Guess what I have here?" she grinned, waving a piece of paper at us.

"A piece of paper," Amara replied sarcastically. She was sitting in front of me as I braided her hair.

"With the list of teams for the school tournament on it," Jubilee squealed, jumping on the couch beside Alison, who was painting her nails. Megan was also sitting with us, which kept Amara on edge. The other Hellfire Girls were out, and she didn't want to join them. What they were doing she didn't mention, but it's not like we really cared. Well, I kind of did, but Amara and Rogue would've refused to hear it.

"It's up already?" Rogue gasped. "But the tournament isn't 'til next month."

"Well Dr. McCoy gave me the list to hang up in the common room," she shrugged. "I'm gonna say though, some us are gonna be happier than others."

"Well, tell us who we're teamed up with," Megan grinned excitedly. Her wings twitched in anticipation.

"Well, I'm not too thrilled about my team," she sighed. "I'm with Irene, Angel, Forge, and Fred."

"Yikes," Alison frowned. "You're stuck with two Hellfire club, not to mention the Blind and the Bloated."

"Hey," Amara snapped., glaring at her. Alison only rolled her eyes and started applying a second coat.

"What about me?" Rogue asked, already hovering over Jubilee's shoulder.

"You are with Cecilia, Rogue, Jamie, and some guys named Avalanche and Bishop," Jubilee read.

"Don't crush Cecilia in anything now," I teased, tying up Amara's hair.

"I won't be breaking anything hopefully," Rogue sighed, sitting back down. "You're gonna like who's on you team though."

"Who?" I asked.

"Bobby of course," Jubilee giggled, fluttering her eyes.

"Awww," Megan gushed. "That's so cute!' I couldn't help but blush deeply. I was used to being with him, but I still had to get used to the teasing. It was nice being around girls.

"You're also with Ray, Mercury, and Remy," Jubilee added. "Don't get too jealous now Rogue."

"Like I'd need to," Rogue scoffed, twirling her hair into a bun.

"What about me!" Amara shouted, clapping her hands excitedly.

"You're gonna love hat this one," Jubilee smiled sympathetically.

"I'm with Emma aren't I?" she sighed angrily.

"And Quicksilver and Longshot," Jubilee nodded.

"They're gonna eat me alive!" she cried dramatically, falling over onto the floor. "I demand a remake! Kitty gets to be with her man, and I'm stuck with the enemy! Where's the fairness in that?"

"Well, Scott's also on your team," Jubilee added, sounding optimistic.

"Yeah, that makes me feel better," she sighed.

"What has been with you lately?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow. "Before you were obsessed with him, and now you barely look at him."

"I don't know," she grumbled, swinging her arm up to cover her eyes, sprawling her legs out. "Maybe I don't like him anymore."

"You get over guys that quickly?" Alison asked, making a face. "Damn."

"It was probably just a small infatuation with his looks now wasn't it Sugar?" Rogue suggested.

"The first thing she said about him was that he was cute," I added.

"So it's no big deal," Rogue said, waving her hand. "Like I said, there are plenty of other good-looking mutants here."

"Ain't that the truth," Jubilee agreed. "Did you see that Ray guy? Delicious."

"Not to eat," Alison giggled. "So who's on my team?"

"Mine too!" Megan spoke up, leaning forward on her crossed legs.

"You guys are actually on the same team," Jubilee read. "Along with Kurt, and two other guys called Spyke and Sunspot."

"Oh, Spyke's nice," Megan said brightly. "He's in the Hellfire Club." We all stared at her as if she was crazy.

"What?" She asked, shrugging.

"Someone can't be nice," Amara said, "and be part of the Hellfire Club."

"Forge and Irene are both nice," I shrugged.

"And I am," Megan frowned. "I mean. I try to be. I'm not rude to you like the others are. I like you guys."

"But you never stick up for us when Emma's baggin' on us," Jubilee pointed out.

"You guys don't need me to stick up for you," she shrugged. "You do great on your own."

"Girl's got a point," Rogue nodded, looking impressed. "Why are you even in that club anyways? Is it just for Emma?"

"She's my best friend," Megan explained. "We promised we'd stick together when we got here. We've always been there for each other."

"No arguing with that," Rogue shrugged.

"If she's your best friend, then why isn't she with you?" Alison countered.

"She doesn't have to spend every moment with me," Megan frowned. "She can have other friends to."

"But from what I've seen," she continued. "You try to get away from her a lot of the time to hang with us. Like now for example." Megan fell silent and stared down at the ground. Before anyone else could say anything, a door burst open and Mercury ran out of her room.

"You guys have to see what's going on outside," she shouted, looking amazed. Before I could blink, the other girls were up and hurling themselves into Mercury's room. I quickly got up to follow, but found I couldn't even get to the window because it was so crowded. I could see flashes of light though.

"That little show off!" Amara shouted. "Does this window open?" I saw her struggle with it, but Rogue helped her.

"What's going on?" I asked Mercury, who didn't seem to mind all of us in her room.

"There's a couple guys out there using their powers," she explained. "You know, showing each other the stuff they could do."

"Shouldn't they do that in the Danger Room?" I asked, making a face.

"Emma's using it," Megan replied.

"You show off!" Amara shouted out the window, shaking her fist. "It's not even that cool anyways!"

"You think you can do better?" A familiar voice shouted back.

"Oh I know so!" She snapped, challenge ripe in her voice. "Rogue, take me down!"

"But it's past curfew," Megan protested. "Those guys aren't even supposed to be down there."

"Alley-oop," Rogue grinned, sweeping Amara off her feet and shot out the window. I managed to get into the empty spot they left before it was filled in by the others. Ray, along with Remy and a guy I didn't recognize were down there. Rogue landed softly on the ground, and Amara slipped out of her arms, her toes touching the cold grass.

"Nice jammys," Ray snickered. Amara was in a blue tank top with black bottoms that had blue puppies no them.

"Thank you," she said, not looking phased.

"So show me what you got," he challenged.

"You better take a step back then," she warned, cracking her fingers. Ray rolled his eyes but took a step back. Amara closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. My heart raced, hoping she wouldn't do anything drastic. Her hands shot out and flames appeared, spiralling around her arms.

"Big deal," Ray shrugged. He shot his hand toward a tree and struck it with a bolt of electricity, and the trunk caught on fire.

"Idiot!" Amara shouted, the spirals disappearing. She instead pulled the flames from the tree and held them in her hands. "What were you thinking?"

"I can make fire too," he shrugged. Holding his hands above his hands sparks flew between them, filling the air with a sizzling sound. Fanning his arms out to his sides really fast, he sent a wave of electricity up into the sky.

"You show em, Suga," Rogue cheered for Amara as she set up for another trick. The girls around me cheered as well, and I couldn't help but shout too. It was actually getting quite exciting. Amara squared herself, spreading her feet apart, and closed her eyes to concentrate. I could see the determination in her face, even in the dark.

"Take your time princess," Ray snickered. Remy stood to the side, leaning his back against the building. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell all his attention was on Rogue. Amara's toes curled, grasping the ground and grass, as if to keep herself planted, and swung her hand down at the ground, hitting it hard. We all braced ourselves, waiting for something to happen...but nothing did. Ray burst out laughing, along with his friend. I sighed, feeling disappointed, but blinked curiously at her. She still had her hand on the ground, and didn't seem to notice Ray's laughing.

"A great effort that was," Alison said, rolling her eyes.

"Look!" Rogue shouted, pointing at Amara. Everyone fell silent at the sight of something bright and orange gathering around her hand. In one motion, Amara swung her arm up and pointed it at the sky, bringing up stream of bubbling lava.

"Holy shit!" Ray's friend shouted jumping back. Ray stared at her wide-eyed, clearly speechless.

"Let her concentrate," Rogue whispered loudly. Amara still had her eyes closed, but she seemed to know where the lava was. She lowered her hand and the pillar did as well. She used bother her hands to control it, and it started creeping up her arms. I swear you could've dropped a pin and everyone would've jumped. She was amazing. I remember her telling me about her house and how she burned it with lava. I wonder if she had this much control back then.

"What are you kids doing out here?" A voice bellowed, and Dr. McCoy waddled into view. Amara jumped and the lava fell at her feet, and began to spread across the ground.

"Watch out!" Rogue shouted, as the lava moved toward Remy. She flew over to him and managed to pull him into the air, but she was soon screaming. My heart dropped. Her hands were gloved, but her arms were half bare, and when she grabbed his arm, he must have touched hers. When they were clear of the lava, she dropped him, and he fell to the ground half unconscious.

"Not again!" Rogue screamed, throwing her gloves off as they began to glow purple. Soon after they hit the ground, they exploded.

"Crap, crap, crap," Amara panicked, trying to move the lava back into the hole, but it wasn't listening. Her toes and hands were dripping with it, yet it didn't burn her. Ray and his friend had run clear of the lava, and Dr. McCoy stood there dumbfounded, not sure what to do. Rogue was freaking out, and couldn't touch anything with her hands.

"You owe me a pair of gloves!" She shouted at Remy, who was struggling to stand.

"Me owe you?" he asked, shaking his head. "You're the one who hurt me Chere."

"I saved your life!" she spat. "So you _owe_ me!"

"Damn, damn, damn," Amara sobbed, falling to her knees in the lava. "Please. Just please go back." She put her hands on the ground, and a tear fell from her face and landed on the lava. Miraculously, the lava began to retreat back to the spot of origin.

"Oh thank god," Jubilee whispered, sliding down the wall and landed with a thump.

"That girl is powerful," Megan said, blinking widely. "She could do some great things one day." _Maybe even reach the Omega Level,_ I thought, watching as the hole harden over with cooled lava. Amara's pyjamas were now half gone, eaten away by the bubbling liquid.

"You five," Dr. McCoy instructed, lifting Remy off of the ground. "Come with me."

~X~

_AN: I'm not sure if the original Kitty can actually make someone's energy beams go through things, like she did for Rogue, but I'm giving her the ability to._


	7. Chapter Seven

AN: Yay! Misfits has over 1100 hits! :D Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate it.

Also, I drew pictures of some of the girls. You can check them out on my profile.

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Seven

I waited up in the common room with the company of my cellphone. I wanted to know right away what happened to Amara and Rogue, and what kind of punishment they'd receive. Amara was amazing. It took a lot of concentration, but she really was able to control lava, and the only thing that burned was the ground, her pyjamas, and the side of the school. Hopefully there wasn't _too_ much damage. I could see her getting to the Omega level. With a power like that, it was most definitely possible. As for me, I don't think it was. If I'm lucky I'll get to the Beta level. Still had issues with falling through things involuntarily. I wasn't the only one though. Scott still had trouble with his powers. If it weren't for those glasses he'd blast something every time he opened his eyes. Kurt looked like he had a lot of control over his powers. I'd say he was already at the Beta level. I wasn't even sure what Fred's power was, but he was able to hold up against Alex's attack. It could be having a bottomless stomach.

I couldn't help but laugh at the last thought. I then heard voices coming up the stairs, accompanied by footsteps.

"Seriously though, how'd ya learn to do that?" Rogue asked, sounding amazed. "I've only ever seen you conjure up fire, but never lava."

"I, uh, practice in my spare time," Amara replied with hesitation. "But how are you doing? Did it wear off?"

"Yeah, it did," Rogue said, muttering something else under her breath.

"Kitty, you're still up!" Amara gasped in surprise. Her pyjamas pants had been burned into shorts, but the rest of her remained intact.

"Yeah," I smiled, sitting up. "I wanna know what happened? Are you guys in trouble."

"Well, we were out after hours, not to mention Amara burned part of the school off, and put others lives in danger," Rogue listed, plopping down in the chair across from me.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Amara huffed, slumping down beside me. "They don't have detention here. Why can't they just have detention?"

"What do you have to do?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity. "I mean, they do have detention."

"Detention is only for classroom and time related affairs," Rogue said, scratching her head. "Since this is not just a school, but also a home, when we break the house like rules, we get punished accordingly. I have to clean the pool."

"You have to do chores?" I gasped in surprise. "That seems like a big thing doesn't it?"

"Oh, I'll have help," she shrugged. "Remy, and that other boy. Think his name was Roberto. Amara;s gonna have the most fun of course." She chuckled, causing Amara to groan.

"What do you have to do?" I smirked.

"I have to clean the Danger Room for a week," Amara sighed, throwing her arms into the air. "Then I have to help Mr. McCoy sort through the library!"

"That doesn't seem too bad," I replied, making a face.

"I need to _clean_ it spotlessly!" she cried dramatically. "Like top to bottom, after people have used it and destroyed parts of it and stuff! I can't believe it!"

"You'll have Ray to help you," Rogue pointed out.

"Yay," she sighed sarcastically. "I'm gonna go to bed. Man, the worst part of this night was that I ruined my pyjamas. Why can't my clothes be fireproof too?"

"Imagine you were able to cover your entire body in lava," Rogue chuckled. "Then when it faded you'd be naked." Amara stared at her horrified.

"Now I'm embarrassed for no reason!" she shouted, getting up t o leave. "Thanks."

"No problem Suga," Rogue grinned. "I'm hittin' the hay too. How about you Kitty?"

"Yeah," I nodded, feeling exhaustion creep up on me. We said final goodnights and I shut my door behind me.

~X~

"Look what I received last night," Kurt announced sitting at the table.

"What?" I asked, just as Bobby tried stealing some of the chocolate off of my plate. I grabbed his wrist and kept it from moving, and he gave me a teasing smile. He was smiling a lot more lately, which was great, but he still had those moments where he looked like he was ready to knock someone out.

"An invitation," he replied, placing it on the only empty spot of the table. Alison was now sitting with us, not liking being separate from Jubilee. We actually had to slide two tables together for everyone to fit.

"To what?" Rogue asked, reaching to pick it up, but Alison was faster.

"To the Danger Room tonight," she read out loud. "'You may also bring along the rest of your group, which includes Scott, Fred, Kitty, Amara, Rogue, and Jubilee. Hey what about me?"

"Well you only just joined today," Jubilee pointed out.

"I received an invitation this morning," Mercury said, cutting her plain burger with a finger she turned into a knife. "Perhaps you have one in your room as well."

"This better not be from the Hellfire Club," Amara scoffed, eating her hotdog which was smothered with ketchup. Her hair was up in a ponytail today, and her dress shirt was rolled up past her elbows. She didn't wear her blazer today either.

"I don't think so," Kurt said, taking the invitation back. "If it were, I'm sure they would've signed it, or used some fancy paper. It says to come dressed in your nightwear and bring blankets and pillows."

"But we're not allowed to sleep in the Danger Room," Fred pointed out, before slurping a big gulp of noodles.

"Perhaps they just want us to be comfy?" Rogue shrugged.

"Did you get an invitation?" I asked Bobby hopefully.

"Yeah," he nodded, slipping his hand free and eating the piece of chocolate. "Ray had an invitation with my name on it."

"Oh crap!" Amara shouted, hitting her head with her hands.

"You get stung by a bee?" Alison asked, rolling her eyes.

"No," she snapped, looking distressed. "I can't go to the party tonight. I have to help McCoy in the library."

"I'll be cleaning the pool this afternoon, so I'll be able to attend," Rogue smiled, but felt sympathetic.

"Why did you guys even get in trouble in the first place?" Scott asked, not at all interested in the invite.

"We were out past curfew," Amara shrugged. "Also I burned part of the school off." She added the last part quickly, hoping no one caught all of it.

"So that's why Magneto was making all those calls today," Kurt smirked.

"Yeah, I really showed Ray up," she grinned proudly.

"You lose control of a flame or something?" Bobby asked, blocking me from stealing one of his chips.

"No, lost control of a pillar of lava," Amara replied, sipping her drink through a straw.

"You can control lava?" Scott asked, blinking in surprise.

"Oh yeah," she grinned proudly. "Well, mostly. I just gotta learn to concentrate with distractions is all. McCoy waddled up and yelled, which caused me to lose focus."

"I didn't know you could do that," Fred smiled in amazement.

"Not a lot of people do," she shrugged.

"So are you all going to the party?" Alison asked, looking irritated by Amara bragging, and not having an invite.

"I'm going," I announced.

"How can you go with out me?" Amara sniffed after a chorus of the others agreeing.

"You can join us when you're done," Jubilee smiled, patting her back.

"Knowing McCoy, we'll probably take all night," she groaned.

"I'm sure it's not gonna be anything big," I shrugged, succeeding in stealing one of Bobby's chips and quickly shoving it in my mouth.

~X~

"Why are you bare foot?" Rogue asked, looking at Rahne disapprovingly when she walked out of her room.

"Because I feel like," she replied in a thick Scottish accent. She walked away without another word with a big knitted blanket. Rogue had her hair brushed into two low braids, and had long sleeved pyjamas on, along with a new pair of gloves.

"Did Remy buy you a new pair?" I asked, throwing my blanket over my shoulder.

"No," Rogue huffed, looking irritated. "That French Boy better get me one."

"It really wasn't his fault," Jubilee said, carrying her pillow on her head.

"Oh it so was," Rogue snapped. "I had a good grip on his arms, but then he had to freak and grab my arm where my shirt didn't reach. He didn't trust me."

"Well, after the way you've been treating him, I wouldn't trust you either," Alison said, blowing on her freshly painted nails. It turned out that she actually wasn't invited to come to the party, and she was greatly pissed. Rogue made a face at her in response, but didn't say anything else to her.

"I don't think Amara's coming," I sighed, feeling disappointed.

"When she is free, she'll come," Jubilee said, sliding across the floor in her slippers. "Let's go already."

"Where are you going?" Megan asked, coming up the stairs.

"You don't know because you weren't invited," Alison said bitterly. "Join the club."

"Why wouldn't I be invited?" she wondered looking hurt.

"Um, I think it's because you're in the Hellfire Club," I said as kindly as possible. "I think since you guys are always having special group things, that someone thought it'd be nice for the rest of us to have a special group thing."

"You mean _most _of the rest of us," Alison corrected rudely.

"If you're gonna get madder than an old wet hen, then why don't you just come along?" Rogue snapped, getting irritated with her attitude.

"Because I don't go where I'm not wanted," Alison replied, sticking her chin in the air.

"Then stop complaining," Rogue shouted, throwing her hands up incredulously.

"Am I really not invited?" Megan asked me, looking quite sad.

"Um, unless you found an invitation with your name on it," I replied, feeling sympathetic.

"No, no I didn't," she sighed. "Oh well. Have fun."

"Thanks," I said, but touched her shoulder before she got too far away.

"Maybe this weekend we could do something," I suggested. "You know, a small group of us?"

"Sure," she smiled, instantly happier, "but what about Amara? She doesn't like me very much."

"Um, well, she's going to be busy actually," I said, thinking of her punishment. "So she won't be free, and it's not that she doesn't like you..."

"It's because I'm in the Hellfire Club," she finished, nodding understandingly. "Hopefully she'll think different of me."

"I'm sure she will if you guys hang out," I smiled encouragingly.

"Come on Kitty," Jubilee called, already starting down the stairs.

"I'll see you later," I said, hurrying after them.

"Bye," Megan waved.

~X~

The three of us briskly made our to the danger room, where Remy was standing outside with a clipboard. I could hear Rogue give an exasperated huff.

"Ah, mademoiselles," he greeted, giving us a small bow. "Welcome to this evening festivities."

"You're in charge of this?" Rogue asked, folding her arms.

"Oui," he replied with a smiles. "Some friends and I thought it'd be a great way to meet the new female students."

"Well you didn't invite all of them," Jubilee pointed out. "What about Alison?"

"Or Megan?" I added.

"Ah, well, Megan is part of the Hellfire Club no?" he shrugged. "And they always having fun parties. As for Alison, I'm we gave her an invite. She's on the guest list."

"Really? Well I'll go get her!" Jubilee grinned, tossing me her pillow. "Save me a spot." She quickly took off back the way we came.

"Well, you may enter, and enjoy," Remy smiled, ushering us in. Rogue didn't reply, and hurried into the room with her chin held high.

"Thanks," I smiled, following closely. The room was made to look like a fancy living room, with a large fireplace that illuminated almost the entire room, and lanterns lit up the rest. There was a table of snacking foods and a punch bowl, and a lot of familiar faces were mixed in with a few unfamiliar.

"Hello," Jamie grinned when he saw us come in. "Right now we're meeting with fellow team members for the school tournament."

"But what if you're teamed up with Hellfire Club members?" Rogue asked.

"No worries," a second Jamie explained. "Just meet up with your other team members."

"There's a list over there if you don't know who's on your team already," a third Jamie spoke up from over my shoulder.

"Hey, I'm helping them!" growled the first Jamie. Rogue and I quietly slipped away as the three of them began to argue.

"Well, I'm with Jamie," Rogue said, throwing her blanket on the ground, "but he looks busy. I'm also on a team with a guy named Bishop, and Cecilia...I don't see the poor girl."

"Perhaps she didn't want to come?" I suggested. "Parties don't seem to be her scene."

"Yeah," she nodded in agreement. "Hey, there's Bobby and ray. They're on your team aren't they?"

"Yup," I nodded. "If Jubilee comes looking, I still have her pillow."

"Sure thing," she nodded, and settled herself down. I walked over to the pair of boys hauling my big blanket and the pillow, stepping around other students who had also laid out on the floor.

"Hey guys," I smiled. Ray looked at me with a quizzical look.

"Oh, you're the hot-head's friend," he said at last. "And also the Ice Man's chick. Way to play hot and cold."

"Um...okay?" I blinked in confusion.

"Ignore him," Bobby said, giving me a quick kiss in greeting.

"That it? I'm sure you do better than that Bobby," Ray grinned mischievously, earning himself a glare.

"I'm here," Mercury announced, showing up with her hair in a ton of braids.

"Whoa, what kind of powers do you have?" Ray asked, giving her an up and down look. In response, she turned her entire arm into a blade. "That's answer enough." He took a cautious step back. "What about you?" He nodded toward me.

"I phase through things," I shrugged, passing my arm through Bobby and back.

"Whoa, did you feel it?" Ray's mouth gaped in amazement.

"No," Bobby replied, feeling his stomach.

"So what are we supposed to be doing?" Mercury asked, looking slightly bored. "Just talk?"

"Well, Jamie said we're suppose to just mingle and get to know our teammates for the tournament," I shrugged.

"Well, I know you two pretty well," she said, indicating me and Bobby. "I'm sure I'll get to know you better over the course of the tournament." On that note, she joined another small group.

"That was...okay," Ray replied, making a face.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Amara groaned, slinging herself over my shoulders. "I swear, if I have to hear another word about Edgar Alan Poe, I'm gonna eat my hand."

"Aren't you suppose to be with your own group?" Ray asked, glaring at her.

"I can be with who ever I want," she snapped, glaring back. "Besides, my entire group is Hellfire crap."

"Ouch," Bobby said. "How are you gonna live with that?"

"I'm not," Amara sighed dramatically. "I'm gonna die by their hands. You won't notice I'm missing until it's too late. They'll cover it up very well so you won't be able to trace it back to them."

"You'll be fine," I smiled optimistically. "Hey, let's go get some food."

"Dibs on the chocolate donuts!"she shouted, dragging me along.

~X~

After about a half hour, everyone ended up floating to their usual groups. Ours was gathered at the side of the room, with a bunch of pillows and blankets scattered everywhere. Alison even came, with a little resistance. I had my feet propped up on Amara's pillow, and leaning against Bobby, who had his arm around me.

"Alright everyone," Jamie called out. "It's time for our first game!"

"There's games?" Alison asked, making a face. "What are we in elementary school?"

"If you're going to complain, just leave," Rogue snapped, receiving a scowl.

"There's paper being passed around, and on them, you'll write down 3 things," Jamie explained. "You will write down how you discovered your powers, along with two false stories about you discovering your powers, and your friends will guess which is right."

"D-do we really have to play?" Rogue asked hesitantly.

"Not if you don't want to," Remy replied, scribbling on his paper already. I took a piece of paper and began to write my three things. I glanced over at Bobby, who was hiding his paper, and writing slowly.

"Done," Amara announced with a big grin.

"What did you do burn your house down?" Ray chuckled.

"No that was the second incident," she replied sneering at him. "So who wants to go first?"

"I will," Jubilee grinned, waving her paper. "Okay, here are the three options. One, I blew up a VCR, two, I was running away from security guards, or three, I was watching fireworks and got the inspiration to make my own."

"The third option would be a good way to discover your powers," Kurt said, nodding his head. "But, when I kept help but lean toward the second."

"I like the blowing up the VCR one," Fred giggled. "Did you have to buy a new one?"

"No, because it actually is the second," she replied.

"Why were you running away from security guards?" I asked, concerned.

"I stole food from the food court," she shrugged. "I didn't like living in the orphanage."

"You were put in an orphanage?" Rogue repeated, looking sympathetic.

"Yeah, my parents died, and I didn't have any other relatives," she nodded. "I lived that way for a few years, and then Ms. Grey found me."

"So you went from living alone on the street and stealing food to here?" I said, looking concerned.

"She wasn't alone of course," Alison grinned. "We met up, and started our own street show. We even had a couple of gigs at local bars."

"People loved our act, and they never suspected we were mutants," Jubilee giggled. "You go next Ali."

"Okay," she nodded, reading from her paper. "One, I was singing at my old high school, two, I was in a crowded subway, and three I was in an argument with my mom."

"What _is_ your power exactly?" Kurt asked curiously.

"I can turn sound into light," she answered, twiddling her fingers and producing little sparkles. "You should see me in a loud place."

"That would make me think subway then," Fred smiled.

"But singing with that loud music could also do it," Mercury pointed out. "I'm going with that one."

"I'm going with the argument with your mom," Rogue said, earning stares. "Well, anger can be a trigger for powers." She shrugged.

"Mercury's actually right," Alison smiled. "I was performing in a talent show when it happened. People just thought it was a lighting trick."

"Of course they would," Amara said, rolling her eyes.

"Why don't you go next?" Alison snapped.

"Or we could let a boy go next," she suggested. "How about you Kurt?"

"Well I knew I discovered my mutation," he began, "A, after a sneezing fit, B, when I fell off of a building, or C, from birth."

"Hmm...I'd say fall off a building," I guessed. "It's be an adrenaline rush after falling, and that could trigger it."

"Yeah, I have to agree," Bobby nodded. "And the sneezing fit just sounds ridiculous."

"But the most ridiculous thing could be true," Remy said, mystifying.

"Haha, it's actually from birth," Kurt grinned.

"What? How?" Amara demanded.

"I didn't say which mutation," he winked. "I was born with blue skin, and it is a mutation."

"Tricky," Alison said, eating some chips. "Scott's turn."

"I'm not playing," he said, looking away uninterested.

"Come on party pooper," Amara prodded, poking his arm.

"No," he frowned.

"You're turn then Ray," Rogue said, wanting it to all move along.

"Okay," he said, clearing his throat. "I electrocuted my mom, I electrocuted my grandma, or I electrocuted my girlfriend at the time."

"Girlfriend," Amara answered immediately.

"Really, just electrocution options?" Jubilee asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup," he replied, leaning back.

"I hope it wasn't your grandmother," I said making a face. "...your mom?"

"Nope, it was the grandmother," he corrected.

"I-Is she okay?" Fred gasped, covering his mouth.

"Put her in the hospital, and she passed away a week later, but it was from cancer, not me," He explained.

"Could've helped it along," Amara mumbled.

"Something you want to share with the class?" he asked coldly.

"I-I'll go next," I spoke up, looking down at my paper. "Um, I have falling through my desk at school, falling through my bed and the floor in my sleep, and phasing through a car that almost hit me."

"I'm thinking the car," Amara guess, now laying on her stomach with her feet swinging in the air.

"The slipping through the floor seems plausible as well," Kurt nodded, scratching his head.

"It's the floor one," Bobby agreed.

"You looked at my paper," I frowned at him.

"It's not my fault you circled the answer three times," he grinned playfully.

"How about you Bobby?" Ray interrupted. "Read yours."

"Okay," he said, his face going back to neutral. "One, while I was camping, two, while I was on a date, three, while I was in a state-wide swim-meet."

"I'd say the swim meet," Remy guessed. "Could happen in front of a crowd, no?"

"I'm thinking camping," Jubilee spoke up, returning with a cup of juice.

"No, it was the date," he answered, monotone.

"What'd you do, freeze your girlfriend's lips when she kissed you?" Alison teased.

"No, some other guy tried to take her away, so I turned him into a giant ice cube," he shrugged.

"Nobody mess with the Ice Man's lady," Ray laughed. I figured there was a chance that he had dated before me, but I still uneasy, or think of what she must have been like.

"Rogue, you go next," Fred smiled, shuffling in his spot and moving most of the blankets.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna pass ya'll," Rogue hesitated, looking down.

"But you already wrote down your answers," Alison smirked, snatching her paper out of her hands.

"Hey!" Rogue shouted, jumping up. "Give that back!"

"The options are: kissing my date and putting him in a coma," Alison read from the page. This angered Rogue and she launched herself at her, but Alison ducked out of the way and began to run around the group. "Shaking hands with the mayor, and knocking him out, or playing football with my brother and sent him to the hospital."

"Alison that wasn't very nice," Jubilee frowned.

"Hey, she wrote it down," Alison shrugged, finally being tackled by Rogue, and they fell on top of Scott.

"Get off!" he shouted, trying to push the two off of them as they wrestled. Rogue swung back an arm getting ready to punch her.

"Rogue, don't," Kurt teleported right up to them, and grabbed her arm. "There's no need to get so upset."

"She read it even though I didn't wanna!" she shouted angrily. "If Scott got to be skipped over, why couldn't I?"

"We just won't guess," I replied, feeling sympathetic. "and you don't have to tell us which is right."

"Just get them off of me!" Scott growled, very irritated. Fred easily lifted the girls off of him and placed them on the couch, and helped Scott sit up.

"There, all better?" he asked brightly, brushing him off a bit too roughly.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Scott grumbled, getting up and leaving as soon as he could feel his legs.

"I'm out too," Rogue huffed, flying out of the room, leaving her blanket behind. The rest of us sat in awkward silence.

"Well...that was interesting," Ray grinned, looking too amused. Amara rolled her eyes at him.

~X~

After a couple more random group games, and a lot of talking, Ms. Munroe showed up and said we all had to go to bed. Amara, Jubilee, and I went back together. Alison had left soon after Rogue because she wasn't feeling the party anymore.

"Maybe we should check on Rogue," Amara suggested as we arrived in the girls' common room. "You know, see if she's okay? She did look upset."

"Yeah," I agreed. "And to return the blanket she left." Jubilee knocked on her door and we waited patiently for an answer. When there wasn't, Jubilee slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. We all peered in and saw Rogue curled up on her side on her bed.

"Rogue?" I said softly, walking over to her, followed closely by the others. "I-I brought you your blanket. Are you okay?" Rogue rolled over, her eyes rimmed with red and tears.

"Do I look okay?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"No, you look horrible," Amara stated, earning glares from the other two. "Can you tell us why? What's eating you?" She went over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I..."

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Jubilee said, hugging her pillow.

"I just haven't thought about when I discovered my powers in a while," she replied. "I've been through a lot and...it's hard."

"I hear you on that," Jubilee sighed, sitting on the bed as well. "Which was it? How you'd you discover your powers?"

"...I kissed Cody..," she sniffed, sitting up. "I-I didn't mean to, I-I didn't know."

"We know," Jubilees said soothingly rubbing her back.

"And he's _still_ in the coma," Rogue sobbed, covering her face. "And they don't know if he'll ever get out."

"One day he may," I said, sitting down myself. "You just gotta have faith, and believe he is strong enough to do so."

"But what if he doesn't?" She hiccuped. "And they pull the plug? His death will be my fault!"

"You can't blame yourself," Amara said, holding her hands. "It's not your fault."

"But it is, it's all my fault," Rogue cried, shaking her head.

"Hey, did you purposely want to harm him, or sabotage his family?" Jubilee interjected, her voice level.

"N-no, but-"

"Then it isn't your fault," she interrupted, rubbing her back again. "It's nature's fault for being a butt head and choosing a wrong time to give you your powers. You can't beat yourself up about it, okay?" Rogue hesitated, but slowly nodded.

"Hey, how about we all spend the night here," I suggested. "We're already in our pyjamas and have blankets and such."

"I second," Amara grinned. "That way you don't have to be alone Rogue." She managed small smile.

"Thanks guys," she said in a low voice.

"No problem Suga," Amara answered, mimicking her accent.


	8. Chapter Eight

_AN: 1700 hits! Thank you so much for reading my story and I'm so happy you all like it. :) Sorry I've been MIA the past while, had a lot on my plate, but I found sometime to sit down and write this._

_I plan on updating every other Monday from now on._

_Here we go!_

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Eight

Today was the official first day of the tournament. The whole school was buzzing with excitement.

Today's event involved cooking, and was going to take part over lunch, which they extended. I wasn't the best when it came to cooking, but I knew we'd do well having Remy on our team. He was an amazing cook, and couldn't wait to see what he came up with. That morning Amara spent English class plotting out how she was going to survive being on a team with the Hellfire Club.

"I will definitely just sit on the sidelines," she nodded, adjusting the clip in her hair. "I won't even take part. Pyro will surely cause me some harm because we'll be working around flames. "As for Emma, she'll read me like an open book and know when I was about to do something, so she'd sabotage me! I'm not safe!"

"You're with Scott, too," I reminded, taking notes on Mystique's lesson. "He doesn't like the Hellfire Club either, and he'll make sure they don't do anything to you. Plus there are teachers around, so nothing bad can happen to you."

"I could get run down by a truck and Scott wouldn't bother to zap it out of the way with his laser eye thing," Amara said cynically, resting her head in her hand. "What is his problem?"

"Well, lately you haven't been all that nice to him either," I pointed out. "You've been aloof and even ignoring him when he does talk to you."

"Yes, but he deserves it," she replied, pursing her lips.

"He's also been going through a lot," I reminded, finally looking up at her, "with his brother and everything. You should cut him some slack."

"Yeah, I guess," Amara sighed, twirling her hair around her finger. "Just wished I liked a different type of guy..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, still paying attention as I turned to continue taking notes.

"Well every guy I've liked so far is basically like Scott," she said. "Handsome, but dark and introverted, cutting himself off mostly from others...They all wore shades too."

"Well I'm not exactly an expert, but try looking at other guys maybe?" I suggested. "There are other cute guys here. Try someone who is more talkative and outgoing. Like Kurt or Ray" She fell silent, so I looked up at her to see her giving me a glare that said "Are you being serious right?".

"No offence to Kurt or anything, I don't mind his mutation at all except for his hands...," she shivered a little. "Only three fingers...As for Ray, ew!" The last word took on a whole new octave causing Mystique to stop her lesson and turn to stare at Amara with a disapproving look.

"Something you'd like to share with the class Miss Aquilla?" she asked, narrowing hey eyes. The entire class was staring at her, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights. She suddenly stomped her foot on the ground and grinned at Mystique.

"Just a spider," she grinned widely. "No need to worry. Please do continue the lesson." Mystique gave her another look before continuing. She sighed in relief and glared at me when I started snickering behind my hand. She stuck her stuck her tongue out at me, but staid silent for the rest of the class.

After class was when things got really interesting. As Amara and I gathered our things and headed for the door, Emma stepped in front of us cutting off our path, with Megan and Wanda flanking her.

"What is this? Hellfire gang-up?" Amara demanded, putting a hand on her hip. "You know we can just walk right through you right?" Sadly it took me a second to realize what she meant and nodded in agreement, though they didn't look like they wanted to cause trouble.

"I just want to talk to you," Emma snapped, giving her the evil eye. "Walk with me." She turned on her heels and out the door, but Megan and Wanda staid behind.

"Better catch up," Wanda smirked nodding toward the door.

"She can't order me like that!" She huffed, marching after her. I stepped to follow but Megan held up her hand to stop me.

"She wants to talk to her alone," she said, looking as surprised as I felt.

"You sure that's wise? They may tear each other apart before they get down the hall," I grinned.

"I know, but that's what she wanted," Megan giggled.

"What we Queens want, that's what we get," Wanda shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Queens?" _I repeated making a face at her. Is that how they really view themselves?_, I thought, not liking how big her head was getting.

"Oh, she means the titles we have in the Hellfire Club," Megan explained, giving Wanda a side glance. "We were given them just last week. Emma's the White Queen."

"I'm the Black Queen," Wanda cut in with a huge grin.

"Charming," I replied, turning back to Megan. "I actually have to get going to math-"

"I know, I'm in your class," she smiled. "We can walk together."

"Okay sure," I nodded, looking at Wanda warily.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I have history right now," she shrugged, heading in the opposite direction we were gonna take. "Ciao."

"You don't like her do you?" Megan asked, as we headed to class.

"Not in the slightest," I replied with a half smile. "She sabotaged me for the pure joy of it, and is in the Hellfire Club, not that everyone in it is bad."

"I know what you mean," she nodded, with a smile of her own. "I was actually wondering if we could hang out after school. I wanted to go for a walk in the woods behind the school." I couldn't think of anything I was doing besides being with Amara, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind going. I had yet to show her Megan wasn't as bad as Emma or Wanda anyways.

"What's this I here about a stroll through the woods?" Ray asked popping up behind us.

"It's suppose to be a girl thing," she said giving him a look.

"Everything you guys do is girls only," he said, with a frown. "You guys had that girl weekend, and...you hang in groups..."

"You guys do that too," I said, raising an eyebrow, "and you can't think of anything else can you?"

"I'm just saying you guys should chill more with the dashing gender," he grinned cockily flexing an arm. _Scratch that, Amara should definitely stay away from his type, _I thought. "Come on," he continued. "Remy could whip up some good food, we could make a picnic out of it."

"Are there even any places to set up a picnic?" Megan asked.

"Of course," Ray smiled as we entered the classroom. "There's a clearing with fire pit."

"I'm guessing you put it there?" I wondered.

"Nah, the Hellfire Club did," he grinned. "So meet us at the basketball court at 5." He went over to sit with Remy and Bobby, already spreading the information.

"Sorry about that," Megan sighed. "I was just expecting it to be a few of us, and only girls. And you haven't even said yes yet."

"Of course it's a yes," I smile encouragingly, "and the more the merrier."

"I'm glad," she beamed. "We should turn it into a potluck actually. That way the pressure's not all on Remy."

"Good idea," I nodded, "but I doubt we'll be able to bring much. The only source of food we have is from the school."

"True," she nodded, "but I can get some stuff from the Hellfire kitchen."

"Just don't let anyone know that's where you got it, or else they may not wanna eat it," I grinned. Megan giggled at my comment.

"We should ask Fred then too?" she suggested.

"Ask me what?" Fred asked, when we sat down next to him.

~X~

At long last lunch came. The period was shortened so that the extended lunch period didn't mess with when classes ended. I walked to the cafeteria with my arm linked with Bobby. Since we were on the same team might as well stick with him through the large crowd of students all moving toward the cafeteria. On the way we met up with Mercury, who was holding light purple aprons over her arm.

"This is our team's colour," she explained, handing us each one. "Each team was given a colour, and we'll keep it for the entire tournament."

"This purple is a bit too feminine for my taste," Bobby grimaced, looking over the apron.

"I think it goes nicely with your hair," I grinned, teasingly. Bobby gave me a look, one that would have been menacing to anyone else, but he was trying to fight a smile while he did it.

"Speak for yourself," Jamie came up beside us, already in his apron, which was a bright hue of pink. "They really hate us students..." I couldn't help but snort.

The cafeteria was step up with about 15 or so tables, each with a tablecloth indicating the colour of the team it belonged to. I searched for Amara, but found Emma first, with her hair pulled back in a perfect ponytail. She and her fellow team members were wearing dark blue aprons. Amara was standing beside her, with her hair pulled back as well, and looked pretty calm. Calmer than I expected her to be. Perhaps her and Emma came to some peace agreement for the tournament? The idea seemed silly and highly improbable.

"You guys see Remy?" Ray asked when the three of us came over to our table.

"Um, you talked to him in class," I said, giving him a confused look.

"Yeah, but he went off somewhere when we were released instead of coming straight here," he explained, retying his apron. "I swear if he's dippin' out on this I'm gonna ring his neck when I see him next."

"He wouldn't do that," I said, shaking my head as I put on my apron. "He would never miss out on this kind of event."

"You know him that well?" Bobby asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, he loves cooking," I shrugging. "I don't know him _that_ well, but I know he wouldn't miss out on this part of the tournament."

"May I have your attention please!" Magneto stood at the head of what looked like the judges table. All the teachers sat or stood around the table, including a man in a wheelchair.

"It's Professor Xavier!" I gasped, brimming with surprise and excitement.

"First off, I'd like to welcome back Professor Xavier, who has made a full recovery," Magneto announced, causing the room to be filled with applause and whistles.

"Yeah, that recovery looks full alright," Ray said cynically, but looked happy to see him back.

"Thank you, Erik," Professor X smiled. "I'd like to apologize for not being here at the beginning of the year to welcome the new students. Better late than never, but Welcome, and I hope to get to know each and everyone of you." The room erupted into applause once more, and I smiled. I really missed seeing him around, and I was really happy to have him back. I wondered if he'd still teach gym with Magneto or if he'd teach something else now that he was in his wheelchair.

"Alright, as you know, we are starting off this School-Wide tournament with a cooking competition," Magneto spoke again once the room settled down. "Each team will be provided with a portable two-burner stove, cooking utensils, pots and pans, and the necessary ingredients to make their dish. Professor Xavier, Mr. McCoy, Ms. Grey and I will be taste judges, while Mr. Rasputin, Ms. Munroe, and Ms. Darkholme will be walking around, providing you with any assistance or question you may need answering. The rules are simple. You will create a dish using the ingredients provided to you. You don't have to use all of the ingredients, but you will not be given any more than what you have. Points will be awarded for creativity, taste, teamwork, and how many of the ingredients you manage to use."

"Greetings," Remy came up to our group then, carrying all our necessary equipment.

"Where the heck did you go?" Ray demanded, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I went to get the best of what they had of course," Remy smiled, putting everything down on our table. "A good meal is not only a reflection of the cook, but by what it is made with. You agree, no?"

"Makes sense," Mercury nodded. "Good job."

"Merci," he smiled, setting up.

"I'm guessing you already know what we have to work with?" Bobby asked, finally putting on his apron.

"But of course," he grinned.

"Alright, you will have two hours to cook," Magneto continued, holding up a stopwatch. "A buzzer will sound, and what you have cooked should be on the judge's table by then. You may go get your ingredients when your time starts, but please no pushing and shoving. On your mark, get set-" A buzzer sounded, signalling the beginning of the competition. Remy grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the table with the basket of our necessary ingredients.

"Quick, phase through everyone and get our basket," he ordered. Things were happening so fast, I almost didn't phase through the first table. I hurried to the table, phasing through everything, being one of the first people there. Rogue was there too in her pink apron.

"Good luck," she smiled, before taking to the air with her basket.

"You too," I called picking up a basket and heading back.

~X~

Two hours actually wasn't that long. Before I realized it, we were already in the last few minutes of the competition. Remy was great at keeping us on track and working together. We managed to make a pasta with a side of some liquid-like desert topped with chocolate and almonds(which was a melted chocolate bar). With one minute to go, we just finished placing the food on the plate and Remy placed in my hands.

"Here you go," he beamed. "Just don't drop it please?"

"Of course not," I laughed, nervously walking away. _Great,_ I thought, weaving around the tables, not wanting to risk dropping the plate if I phased. _ The team's fate is in my hands. Man I hop no one-_ And as if on cue, someone bumped into me. I gasped, losing grip of the one side of the plate. My heart dropped as I saw the plate did, but it didn't fall too far before another hand grabbed it. I looked in surprise to see that it belonged to Rahne, who didn't look to happy wearing a yellow apron.

"Thanks," I smiled, hoping she'd return it. She didn't say anythings. She just glared at me until i took the plate again, and stalked off. _What's her problem?, _I wondered, putting the plate down on the judge's table.

"Thank you Kitty," Professor X smiled gratefully. "It looks delicious."

"Thanks Professor," I bowed slightly before heading back to me team.

"That was a close call huh?" Amara intercepted me on my way back, looking quite happy.

"Yeah," I nodded with an anxious laugh. "Thought for sure I was gonna drop it."

"You have the reflex of a cat," she grinned, playfully poking my shoulder.

"Yeah, that describes me alright," I said, shaking my head. "You look happy. Things go okay with your group." Her face turned neutral instantly.

"Well, you know, as good as can be expected," she shrugged. "Didn't get to throw my opinions in at all, just did what little they let me do. I didn't argue with them because I didn't want to lose points for teamwork."

"I see," I replied, turning my head to the side curiously. "And how was Scott?"

"Barely knew he was there," Amara sighed. "He staid quiet too. I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to complain about every ingredient we had to choose from. Him and his preservatives, and vegan crap. So how'd yours go?" She seemed all too eager to change the subject.

"It went really well," I answered, going along with it.

"Well with Remy on your team how could it go wrong?" Amara said enviously. "You guys scored the highest for sure."

"Well we'll just have to see," I shrugged with a smile. "Hey, what do you think of a picnic out in the woods after school?"

"Sounds great," she grinned. "Who's all coming?"

"Well, it was Megan's idea, so she's gonna be the- Oh don't make that look," I warned when she made the "No way in hell I'm hanging with a Hellfire Club member" look. "She's really nice, and you are going to give her a chance."

"Fine,"she sighed, not looking all that happy.

"And Ray's comin-"

"Not him _too,_" she groaned. "You _really_ don't want me to come do you?"

"Of course," I said, shaking my head at her overreaction. "It was his idea."

"But you just said it was Megan's idea," she said, glaring.

"It was Megan's idea for us to go for a walk in the woods," I explained, "and Ray overheard and suggested we make it a picnic."

"My enemies planning out social gatherings for me," she sighed dramatically, "and stealing my best friend at the same time!"

"They aren't stealing me," I smirked, rubbing her head.

"Hey, hey, that took-, me, along to get right," she complained, sounding careful with what she said. "But alright. I'll come. Is it right after school?"

"We're meeting at the basketball court at 5. Maybe we could have a game before we go eat," I suggested, liking the idea.

"That's actually a good idea," she agreed. "I'd like to cream Ray." I rolled my eyes just as Professor X took up the microphone.

"Attention students," he spoke, calling the room to a hush. "It's time to announce the winners of the cooking competition. In third place, we have team Dark Blue."

"YAY!" Amara screamed, nearly defining me in my left ear. I could see Emma was pleased, but still disappointed with their performance.

"In second place, is team brown," Xavier continued. The brown team clapped and hollered in victory. I didn't recognize anyone on that team.

"This is all you," Amara grinned, playfully punching my shoulder.

"And in first place," Xavier smiled, drawing it out for dramatic effect, "is team light...green!" Amara's mouth dropped in shock as Kurt and Megan's team jumped up and down in excitement. It took me a second, and I found myself clapping out of respect, but my heart dropped. We didn't even place top 3.

"Remy's mad," Amara said, pointing at him as he marched up to the judge's table.

"Congratulations to the winners, and well done to everyone," Xavier smiled. "Everything was delicious. To celebrate, outside in the hall are boxes of pizza. You are free to go help yourself, or you can eat the food you made. If you would like to see how you did, you can come look at your score cards. If not, enjoy the rest of your day, and tomorrow's event will be track and field."

"Great, I'm amazing at long jump," Amara said pleasantly. I felt horrible. I got my hopes up so high for this competition, believing we'd do amazing with Remy on our team, but I didn't even think we could not do that well at all.

Remy marched right up to us, a displeased look on his face.

"Chaton," he said to me, looking unhappy but not angry. "Did you put garlic on the dessert?"

"Huh?" I blinked at him in confusion. "Of course not. We didn't even have garlic at our station."

"I know, but I tasted the food left at the judges' table, and there was garlic in the chocolate," he explained, scratching his head. "And there was none in the batch at our table. So somewhere between ours and the judge's table, garlic was added."

"Kitty would never sabotage her own team," Amara said making a face at him.

"I know that," Remy replied, looking very disappointed. "Our food was tampered with, and because of it we placed in 5th. I ran what happened when I was on my way to the judge's table. I hated to admit it, but Rahne must have done it when she bumped into me. She did it on purpose.

"It was Rahne..." I spoke, barely above a whisper. Remy stared in disbelief.

"That's right!" Amara gasped. "She bumped into her on her way to the table. Why would she do such a thing?"

"Well, she is on a team with John, and other hellfire members," I sighed, not liking the logic I was using, but it made the most sense. "Perhaps they convinced her to hurt our chances of winning?"

"That's completely right," Amara growled, grinding her teeth together. "Those slimeballs!"

"No need to cause any extra drama," Remy sighed, putting a hand on Amara's shoulder. "We'll just turn the other cheek. Besides, they placed in 8th. Their efforts to beat us were wasted."

"John could have did it as a gift to his girlfriend," Amara glared. "We came in third. My win is a fake!"

"Hey, you guys deserve it," I smiled, patting her on the back. "Don't let this keep you from celebrating. Besides, we can catch up in another event. Like tomorrow. I look forward to beating someone in 100m."

"We better hope Quicksilver isn't in that even," Remy smiled.

"You're not the least bit upset about your creation being ruined?" Amara asked him, not looking as mad as she had been.

"Of course I am, but I can't let everything bother me now can I?" he smiled. "Come on, we got that picnic to look forward to don't we?"

"Right," Amara nodded.

"Oh, and Megan suggested be potluck," I added.

"Of course she did," she sighed, rolling her eyes.

~X~

Amara, Rogue, Jubilee and I arrived at the basketball court early. The four of us had pitched in, and together we made a cake. It was a simple rectangular cake. It was vanilla flavour with chocolate icing. Jubilee carried it as a joke, just in case I were to bump into someone and have the cake messed with. Rogue scolded her for it, but she only shrugged her off.

"So how are things between you and Bobby?" Rogue asked, moving her hair behind her ear only to have it fall forward again.

"They are going okay," I smiled, not very confidant in my answer.

"Uh oh," Jubilee gasped frowning. "That didn't sound very promising."

"Has something happened?" Amara asked, getting concerned. "You would have told if something happened right?"

"Of course I would tell you," I sighed, waving it off, "and no, nothing happened."

"So...a lack of something happening?" Rogue guessed. "Come, come, and hate taking shots in the dark."

"Well, things _are_ going okay...," I replied, rubbing my arm.

"But...?" Jubilee pressed, leaning toward me.

"It just feels like there's this wall," I shrugged. "I know we haven't dated long, but I just feel like he's hiding a lot of stuff."

"You should voice your troubles Sweetpea," Rogue instructed. "In any good relationship, communication is important. You can't keep your concerns bottled up, like he's bottling up on his side. If you both bottle up nothing good will come of it."

"Besides a lot of full bottles," Jubilee grinned, jokingly, earning a side glance from Rogue.

"Are girls always early?" Ray asked, followed closely by Remy, Bobby, Fred and Kurt.

"Scott not coming?" Amara asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Said something about wanting to eat his own food inside," Kurt shrugged, carrying a platter. "He said he'll come after."

"How about a basketball game before we go?" Amara grinned, putting her hands on her hips.

"But we don't have a ball," Fred pouted, scratching his head, he carried paper plates and plastic utensil.

"And it's an odd number," Ray added. "Maybe another time."

"Don't think you can take us on?" Amara snapped, trying to coax him into playing.

"No, just don't feel like embarrassing you right now," he shrugged. "Besides, don't want the food to get cold."

"I made sure there was no garlic added," Remy grinned playfully, carrying a bowl.

"It wasn't my fault," I huffed, but not minding that we could joke about it.

"Hey, we all make mistakes," Bobby shrugged, putting an arm around me.

"Where's Megan?" Rogue wondered, looking around. "She's the one that put this together right?"

"Maybe the 'Queen' pulled her away for chores," Amara scoffed.

"Queen?" Fred asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nevermind," she said, waving it off. "I'm sure she'll catch up."

"She doesn't even know where it is," I spoke, not moving with the others. "I'm waiting for her."

"Bobby you know where it is right?" Rogue asked, and I could tell an idea was turning in her head.

"Of course," he replied.

"Then hows about you stay with Kitty and wait for Megan, and we'll go on ahead and set up," Rogue suggested.

"But if she doesn't show in the next while, just dip," Jubilee shrugged.

"Okay," I nodded, my chest aching in nervousness.

"Just tel him what you told us," Rogue whispered in my ear before walking off. The group of them moved into the woods, leaving me and Bobby alone, and I suddenly felt pressured. Very pressured. I didn't want Rogue's "plan" to go to waste, but I wasn't sure how to talk to him.

"You okay?" he asked, looking down at me.

"Yeah, I am," I nodded, smiling up at him.

"I'm sure Megan will show up soon," he said encouragingly. "She probably did get caught up with some Hellfire Club stuff."

"Yeah," I sighed, looking off into the woods.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Bobby asked again. _Just do it, _I pushed silently. _Just do what Rogue said. Tell him _exactly_ what you told the girls. Communication. Gotta have it. You don't want a ton of bottles._

"Well," I began, clasping my hands together, looking off into the forest, unsure if I could meet his eyes, "I know we haven't been dating long...but I feel like there's...a wall...and that there's stuff you're hiding...and I sort of feel...on the outside..." I heard him sigh, and glanced up at him, seeing him looking elsewhere.

"I'm sorry to make you feel that way," he said, scratching his head. "I'm not the best with talking, or sharing things, but I want to, really." He looked down at me with sincerity. "Growing up I was taught to keep everything to yourself..."

"Well, that's a start," I smiled, feeling hopeful. "Telling me that is sharing."

"Yeah, I guess it is," he half-smiled.

"How about tomorrow we hang out just us two?" I suggested, holding his hands. "We rarely do that, and we can talk. Talk about anything, and you can tell me things ar your own comfortable pace. I'll share stuff too."

"That sounds great," he agreed, leaning down to kiss me. The kiss didn't last long, because we were scared apart by an animal-like growl that came from the woods. I looked around frantically, and saw a pair of eyes peering out from the shade of a tree. It's silhouette looked like a big dog, but I guess a wolf. Bobby put himself in front of me as it stepped forward, and its parted muzzle came into the light, flashing its sharp teeth.

~X~

_AN: Hey, let me know what you think of the characters and story so far. Let me know what you think might happen, and any other stuff like that. Like to know I'm doing the story justice and hearing from me readers. :)_

_ALSO!_

_Have a poll up on my profile asking who your favourite character is so far. :) Love to see how they are fairing with everyone._

_And still taking request of who I should draw._


	9. Chapter Nine

AN: Just like I said. :D Every other Monday an update! Woot! Enjoy.

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Nine

My heart pounded, as I stared at the wolf. Bobby stood fully in front of me, keeping me out of the wolf's reach. It stood there, growling, looking like it was ready to pounce at any moment. I touched Bobby's back anxiously, trembling slightly, not sure what to do.

"W-what do we do?" I stammered, trying to keep breathing.

"What we do best," he replied, his voice steady. I looked down at his hand, and it was turning a bluish colour, emitting a cold air. The wolf took step forward, and Bobby tensed up, clenching his hands into fists, ready to throw ice at it to scare it off. I held my breath, not wanting anything bad to happen, to us, or the wolf. Sure it was trying to attack us, but it must not like all the people out in its territory.

Out of no where, a layer of pink dust floated down, and settled over the wolf. It growled, shaking its head back and forth wildly its eyes squeezed shut.

"What the-?" Bobby said, pushing me to take a step back. The wolf's eyes flew open again snarling, ready to pounce jump at us, but it froze. I could swear I saw fear in its eyes before it jumped back from us and ran off into the woods. We stood there for a second, not exactly sure what had happened.

"You guys okay?" Megan landed lightly next to us, carrying a little bin. She had a concerned look on her face.

"Y-yeah," I replied, looking at her surprised. "What just happened?"

"I just threw some of my pixie dust on him," she shrugged. "It would have given it some sort of hallucination. Not exactly sure, it's different for everyone. Never really used it on an animal before, but I used just a weak does."

"So you have multiple abilities?" Bobby asked, looking intrigued.

"Well, I like to think of it as my only ability, and my wings a," Megan shrugged with a smile. "So,where are the others? Sorry I'm late. Had to shake off Emma."

"They just went on ahead," I replied, taking Bobby's hand. "He knows the way though."

"Yeah, just follow me," he nodded, starting off.

"But what if we see the wolf again?" I asked, a little unsure now.

"We'll just scare it off again," Megan smiled, walking on the other side of me. "So how many people came out?"

"Well, there's me, you, Rogue, Jubilee and Amara," I counted out loud on my fingers, "and for guys, there's Bobby, Ray, Kurt, Fred, and Remy. So that makes ten of us."

"Good turn out," Megan smiled, "and the same number of girls and boys. Funny how that worked out."

"Yeah, it is," I nodded, finding it as a funny coincidence as well, "but Scott said he'd show up later."

"Right, doesn't like normal food," she giggled, skipping over an unearthed root.

~X~

When we are arrived, the fire was already going, courtesy of Amara, and the food was set out on a blanket I didn't even notice Fred carrying. Megan added her bin of cut fruits to the set up, smiling happily.

"I'm glad everyone came," she said, sitting beside Amara.

"Yeah well, anything to get the bad taste of garlic out of my mouth," Remy grinned teasinly.

"Are you never gonna drop that?" I sighed, getting slightly annoyed by it now.

"Sorry Chaton," Remy said, pulling out paper plates. "I still can't believe Rahne did that."

"Rahne messed you guys up?" Jubilee asked, taking a strawberries. "That's mean."

"Yeah, we think it's conspiracy," Amara nodded, piling her plate. "We think John got her to sabotage them to let Emma's team place in the top three."

"Yeah, asshole," Ray grumbled, sending sparks between his hands.

"Rahne doesn't look like the kind to be talked into anything," Kurt said doubtfully, before bowing his head to pray.

"Maybe she was forced to?" Fred suggested, his mouth half full.

"But by who?" I asked, stretching out my legs. "Like Kurt said, she isn't one who would give into peer pressure."

"Maybe it was Emma?" Rogue wondered out loud. " I mean, she can do what Professor X can right?"

"I thought he only read minds," Jubilee said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, he can do a lot more than that," Kurt explained. "He can also take control of ones mind, make you do things, as well as implant ideas, and false memories. He's an Alpha mutant after all. You didn't think he could really only do one hing?"

"What if Emma is just like him then?" Amara gasped. "I can't believe it! She's been controlling her!" She had a panicked look on her face.

"If she was Professor X would know," Bobby stated. "There's no way she could get away with it."

"Then why would she mess with our food?" Ray demanded angrily, then turned to Megan. "You know anything about it?"

"N-no, of course not," she stammered, looking frightened.

"Maybe she resents us for some reason, how should we know," Remy shrugged. "But C'est la vie. Let's move on. We're here to have fun no? So let's change the subject."

"Well you started it Einstein," Rogue snapped, tucking her hair behind her ear only to have it fall back again.

"What do you think about tomorrow?" Megan asked, happy to change the subject. "I'm not all that great at physical activities."

"Well I hear that there's gonna be other sports too," Jubilee spoke up.

"You always hear about things before us," Kurt smiled, shaking his head.

"That's because I'm in the lip and I listen," Jubilee grinned. "Anyways, there's supposed to be basketball baseball."

"I'm not good at either," I giggled, scratching my head. "I don't even know how I'm gonna do tomorrow."

"You're gonna be fine," Bobby smiled, brushing some hair out of my face. "Just stay away from shot put."

"What about people with powers that can give them an advantage?" Amara wondered. "Rogue could throw a javelin to the next town, and Quicksilver could beat a race of any length before a second goes by."

"I'm sure they have something planned to make it fair," Kurt spoke up.

"I won't be any good with running," Fred chuckled, licking his fingers.

"We obviously know that," Ray mumbled under his breath, earning a warning glance from a lot of us.

"So, do you guys have new names?" Meegan asked, quickly moving the subject. "You know, like how Magneto suggested we come up with new names to reflect the new life we're leading with embracing our powers? Mine is Pixie."

"What? Not Fairy Godmother?" Jubilee grinned, poking her playfully. "I'm just sticking with Jubilee. It's already a nickname for my full name, which is Jubilation Lee, so that's what mine is."

"Rogue is a new name for me as well," Rogue said, floating crisscrossed on air.

"What's your real name Cher?" Remy grinned, looking up at her. She ignored him, finishing the food that was on her plate. "I decided that mine was Gambit." he added.

"I'm Nightcrawler," Kurt smiled.

"Why that name?" Megan asked.

"Well, the best time I blend in is at night," he explained., "and crawler just makes it sounds cool when you add it on."

"Iceman," Bobby nodded.

"I decided mine is...," Amara paused for dramatic effect.

"Flashlight?" Ray suggested.

"Magma!" she announced, ignoring him.

"Ah, very fitting since you were able to control that one time," Ray mocked.

"And nearly burned my shoes off," Remy chuckled. "Have you been able to so it since?"

"Of course," she shrugged as if it was nothing. "I practice all the time."

"I never see you practice," I said, looking at her confused.

"Don't worry, I make time," she grinned, nudging me with her elbow. "How about you Kitty? You think about a name yet?"

"No, not yet," I replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't really thought of anything cool. You guys have such great names."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something soon," Kurt said optimistically.

"Don't worry, I don't have one either Kitty," Fred smiled, patting his stomach, making us wonder if he was actually full.

"Go on and tell them your name Ray," Remy prompted.

"What is it, Psycho?" Amara snapped, checking over her nails.

"Close, but it's Berzerker," he grinned, allowing electricity to jump from his fingers.

"Why would you name yourself...something like that?" Megan made a face.

"Why not?" he shrugged. "It's cool sounding, and it fits my powers. It can get kind of crazy if I lose control of it."

"A lot of our powers could go crazy if we lost control," Kurt reminded.

"Yeah, well, that's what I chose for my name okay?" Ray crossed his arms, not all that pleased with the results he was getting.

"Well, I think it's cool," Fred said, waving his hand. Ray just rolled his eyes at him again.

We spent a couple more hours out there. Megan had hurried back to grab a s'mores kit she had forgotten so we could roast marshmallows. Scott didn't show up, which I did find surprising, but no one else seemed to mind. Amara however did look a little down. On our way home, we split off into gender groups, the girls all hanging back so they could swarm around me.

"So what did he say?" Rogue demanded.

"Yeah, you talked to him right?" Jubilee pressed. "I mean, it was kind of obvious how we left you guys alone."

"Yes we did talk," I smiled, linking arms with Rogue and Amara, "and he said he's sorry for making me feel like he was keeping me out, and we're gonna talk some more about it tomorrow."

"The bottles are being emptied!" Jubilee cheered, sending out some celebratory sparks from her hands.

"Bottles...?" Megan asked, making a face.

"Inside joke," Amara smiled smugly.

~X~

The next day was kind of similar to the last with adjusting the schedule. This time how ever lunch was and the morning classes shortened so we could start the days events sooner. We wore out gym shorts, but had special t-shirts of our teams' colour. My hair had gotten long enough that I could pull it back into a little ponytail, save for my sweeping bangs.

"I am ready to kick some arse," Alison announced, stepping out of her room, with a light green shirt and her hair in two little ponytails.

"What events are you looking forward to?" Jubilee asked, tying up her running shoes. "I'm pretty good at long distance."

"I'm looking forward to long jump," Amara smiled, tying her hair back as well. Almost everyone who had long enough hair tied it back.

"I would win that one for sure," Rogue grinned, doing a one arm push up.

"With those powerful legs of course you would," I giggled, stretching out my legs.

"Cecilia, you should start warming up Suga," Rogue said to her teammate, who was reading a thick book on the couch.

"I-In a minute,"she replied, turning the page.

"I thought I was Suga," Amara pouted, stretching an arm.

"I call a lot of people Suga," Rogue shrugged, going down into Russian splits.

"I wouldn't mind being called that Cher," Remy grinned, coming down the hall with Kurt.

"Why are you always around when no one wants you," she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Hi Kurt!"

"Good afternoon," he smiled in return. "I see you ladies decided to follow my trend." He motioned toward his ponytail.

"Well you're such an icon, we had to follow," Megan giggled, coming out of her room with her hair the same way.

"You wound me with your harsh words Cher," Remy sighed dramatically.

"Then I'd like to see what sticks and stones do," she glared, getting up.

"So, we gonna get going then?" Alison asked, tapping her foot impatiently. "Come on Megan, Kurt. Let's go find Spyke and Sunspot."

"We'll see you out there," Megan smiled, following her. Kurt waved as well, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"AH!" A scream filled the air, followed by a crash from one of the bedrooms.

"W-what was that?" Cecilia stammered, dropping her book in surprise.

"Sounded like it was coming from Mercury's room," Jubilee said, jumping up. Rogue had already flew to the door and whipped it open. When I got to the door, I saw a shattered window, as well as a floor littered with clothes that had been torn up.

"I-it was.." Mercury was on the floor, hugging her legs. "It was a wolf! There was a wolf in my room!"

"Are you okay?" Remy asked, kneeling beside her in concern. Rogue had jumped out the window to see if she could find it. I blinked, looking around the room. _No way,_ I thought, trying to shove my first thought out of my head. _There's no way it was the same one..._

"How could a wolf get in _here_?" Cecilia screeched, still kneeling on the couch. "This place is supposed to be safe!"

"It is." Ms. Grey appeared out of nowhere, and pushed her way into the room, kneeling on the other side of Mercury. "It's alright dear, you're safe." She stroked her head, as she surveyed the room. "Did no one see what happened?" There was a chorus of no's, and we all shook our head.

"She had her door closed," Jubilee sighed.

"I was changing," Mercury replied, looking calmer. "I went into my closet, and there it was, growling at me...I screamed, and it jumped out. I thought it was gonna attack me, so I jumped to the side, and it ran right pass me and jumped out the window. My clothes came out with it...and they're all torn up."

"Don't worry, we'll replace the clothes," Ms. Grey said reassuringly, still stroking her head.

"I couldn't find it," Rogue appeared in the window again, looking very angry. "It might have jumped for the ledge over by the next window, but I doubt it made it."

"So it must have hurt itself right?" Amara said, folding her arms, also angry. "It deserves it. How could a wolf get in here though? Especially without Professor X knowing. He can read minds." Ms. Grey had a stern look on her face, staring out the window. Her eyes looked very vacant, as if she were daydreaming.

"So what do we do?" Mercury asked, not looking as freaked out as she had.

"I will inform Professor Xavier immediately," she said, standing up and helping her to her feet, "along with the rest of the staff members. Will you be alright with going on with today's activities?"

"Of course," she nodded. "I just don't have any shorts now...the wolf shredded them."

"I have an extra pair," Jubilee offered. I helped pick up Mercury's clothes, and couldn't stop the sinking feeling in my chest. _How could this happen?,_ I wondered. I couldn't help but feel there was something larger at work. Sure it was crazy to think, but maybe it was part of something bigger? Like a piece of a huge plot. I know it wasn't a movie, but couldn't help think it.

~X~

The day was planned out with different events happening at different times. We had all wrote down which events we would like to partake in earlier that day, and from there the teachers chose which events we could participate in to keep it fair. Our whole team was basically able to do anything because out powers didn't effect our physical performance. Things were going on as if nothing had happened that morning. The only way you knew it did, was because everyone was talking about it. Stuff like that didn't stay secret for long, especially when it had to do with our safety. Nothing like this ever happened and I was worried it was going to happen again. Even Kurt said that the incident with Rogue never happened before. I didn't want to read to much into, but it was a crazy coincidence that two unlikely things happened in the same school year. Sure that thing happened with Amara as well, but that was different. We saw it happen. No one saw what happened with Rogue or with Mercury until after.

"Hey Kitty!" Jubilee ran at me at top speed, almost running into me. "You _have_ to see this!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me away from my team. We were just stretching and warming up in the middle of the new track that had appeared our of nowhere.

"Okay," I replied, allowing myself to be dragged away. I pushed my anxieties aside. If anything else happened, I didn't think I could ignore it anymore. "What is it?"

"You aren't going to believe it," she grinned, not slowing down. "Just wait until you see." I was curious as to what she was talking about. We walked back toward the school, and kept close to the wall. When we reached the corner she let me take the lead.

"Stay quiet, and look around the corner carefully," she grinned, nudging me. I made a face at her, but I stayed against the wall and slowly peaked around the corner. I blinked in surprise, seeing Kurt and Irene talking with each other.

"...So?" I said, not finding what was so amazing about it.

"What do you mean 'so'?" Jubilee whispered. She was crouched down at my feet so she could watch too. "There is forbidden love blooming!"

"Forbidden?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she's in the Hellfire Club," she pointed out, "and he doesn't look like normal humans, but she can't see. So it works out perfectly!"

"Yeah...that would be nice," I smiled at the thought. Kurt having a girlfriend. He'd be so happy.

"What are ya'll doin'?" Rogue came up behind us,causing us to jump in surprise and shush her.

"Take a look," Jubilee whispered, pointing around the corner. Rogue hovered above us so we could all look at the same time.

"You know ya'll shouldn't be eaves dropping," she frowned.

"But their forbidden love must be observed by at least a couple friends," Jubilee said dramatically.

"Yeah, we think they like each other," I grinned in agreement.

"Or maybe they are just friends talking in private because if they are seen in public people will be making a big fuss over it like you guys are right now," Rogue suggested, putting her hands on her hips. Jubilee and I looked at each other. She had a point. I know if I was secretly talking with someone from the Hellfire Club people would talk. People still suspect Megan for having ulterior motives for hanging out with us.

"I guess you're right...," I sighed, though the possibility of it being secret affection didn't leave my mind.

"Yeah, I guess we can give them privacy," Jubilee nodded.

"Will those participating in the 400m, please report to Magneto at the beginning of the track," a loud voice boomed through a sound system. It sounded like Ms. Munroe's voice.

"That's me," Jubilee announced. "You guys doing it?"

"Nah, Bobby's doing 400m," I replied shaking my head, but still following her nonetheless. "I'm just doing the 100m."

"I'm actually not participating at all today," Rogue frowned, looking disappointed.

"What?" Jubilee and I both shouted in unison.

"Well, since I have super-strength, I also have super-stamina," she shrugged. "So I could remain in full sprint for 800m. Also I can't be in shot put or long jump because it's a test of strength. Also for short distance running, same thing. I'd take few strides, but they'd be longer and and takeme more distance..."

"So basically you can't do anything," Jubilee frowned. "That's not right. You can control it right? I mean, you don't use your strength all the time right?"

"It actually takes a lot of effort not to use it," Rogue sighed. "I sometimes forget and _still_ break stuff."

"Perhaps you could purposefully go for second or third?" I suggested. "Professor Xavier would know if you did it, and it's not always about the competition. It's about having fun."

"You're right," Rogue smiled. "I'll talk to the Professors. I'm sure they'd allow me to now. Thanks." She quickly gave us a hug and flew off.

"You do know that if they make an exception for her, everyone else will want to have a chance as well," Jubilee spoke up as we neared the track. "Like Quicksilver."

"Yeah, but he can still do the events that involve throwing," I pointed out.

"True," she shrugged, jogging over to Ms. Munroe. "Well, wish me luck."

"Good luck," I smiled, waving as she went. The 100m wasn't for a little while yet, so I went over to Professor Rasputin, who was barbecuing hamburgers and hotdogs.

"What would you like?" he asked with a smile, flipping over a few burgers.

"I'll have a hotdog please," I smiled in return.

"Kitty!" I looked over my shoulder and saw Forge walking toward me.

"Hey," I grinned, hugging him in greeting. "How are you? It's been awhile."

"I've been doing alright," he nodded. "You been keeping up with your school work?"

"Doing what I can," I chuckled, taking the hotdog Professor Rasputin offered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled, handing one to Forge as well.

"How's things at the Hellfire Club?" I asked, covering my hotdog with ketchup. "You guys got a lot more members."

"Yeah, Magneto suggested we get more," Forge nodded, eating his plain. "It's different."

"A good or bad different?" I raised an eyebrow curiously.

"It has its pros and cons," he shrugged, motioning for us to walk around. "It's nice to have more people, to get to know them better and everything, but I miss it just being the few of us. The small tight-knit group. I _really_ miss having you in it."

"It just wasn't my place," I smiled, apologetically.

"Yeah, I understand," Forge smiled.

"All those participating in the 100m, please report to Ms. Munroe," a loud voice boomed through the sound system.

"Ah man, I just started this," I huffed.

"I can hold it for you if you like," he offered. "I'll just sit right here on the bleachers."

"Thanks," I grinned, handing the half of my hotdog that still remained. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," he smiled, sitting down as I hurried over to where the others in the event were gathering. There were two races planned, one for girls and the other for guys. Ray and I were representing our team, Emma and Scott were representing there's, along with Jubilee and Angel, Alison and a guy I guessed to be either Sunspot or Spyke, Cecilia and Jamie, and Alex and Wanda. There were other teams who didn't have any girls, so they didn't get scores for the girl events. I hadn't seen Alex in awhile. He looked just carefree as always. He was actually in and argument with Scott, which was a surprise, but at the same time it wasn't.

"Don't kid yourself," Alex snapped. "You don't give a damn about my health, and I don't need you to."

"Mom want's you to take it easy," Scott said firmly. "She asked me to look after you."

"And like I said, I don't care," he growled. "Like she cares what happens to us."

"Alex please, you're making a scene," Scott sighed, touching his fingers to his forehead. "and you know she cares."

"Like hell she does," he spat just as Ms. Munroe walked up, eyeing both of them.

"Everything alright here boys?" she asked, looking between them. Scott opened his mouth to speak, but Alex cut him off.

"No," he said briskly, taking a spot at the starting line. Ms. Munroe hesitated, but she began to instruct the boys to split up into 3 heats. Scott staid back with his arms crossed, waiting for the next one. I walked over to him with my hands behind my back.  
"You okay?" I asked, not sure what else to say.

"No," he replied sharply. I wasn't surprised by the answer. I just thought I'd try showing some friendly concern. I stood next to him quietly, waiting for my turn.

"...You think I should just let him be?" Scott finally asked.

"You're just looking out for him," I said, kicking at the ground. "He's your brother after all."

"You didn't answer my question," he said, not looking at me.

"It's not my decision," I shrugged. "If you really care about him, despite the stuff between you guys, you should do your best to look out for him. Especially for your mom like you said." He made a face when I mentioned his mom, but didn't say anymore before going up to the starting line for the next heat.

~X~

AN: Please review and let me know what you guys think! I really appreciate it.


	10. Chapter Ten

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Ten

"Here's to coming in 3rd!" Amara grinned, holding up a juice box of orange juice. "Again!"

"We should toast to having a fun day," Kurt corrected, lifting his own box of juice. "Not all of us came in the top three."

"We came second," I smiled, shaking my box of apple juice. I was surprised we managed to place. I didn't do all that great in the running events, but I got second in long jump. The boys and Mercury did really well in their events, giving our team an over all place of second. After the winning teams were announced, Bobby went off to shower before we had our alone time. I went back to the girls' wing with Amara and Kurt. Kurt was gonna help Amara out with some geography homework. We were surprised to see Cecilia in the common room, already surrounded by books that were geography based. Amara found it as a perfect opportunity and asked to join her so that they could all study, after they showered of course. She had reluctantly agreed, and only talked when she was asked a question or read out something interesting. I just stuck around because I realized I didn't do much studying myself, and Bobby hadn't come yet.

"Then to a fun day," Amara grinned, hitting her box against ours before drinking form it. "Okay, so...Jefferson City is the capital of...Nevada?"

"No, the capital of Nevada is Carson City," Cecilia corrected, not looking up from her text book. "Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri."

"Dang it," Amara grumbled, scribbling on her paper.

"Um, is that what we're even studying right now?" I asked, giving her a look.

"No...but I just wanted to know," she grinned widely, opening up her text book.

"Your knight approaches," Kurt smirked, nodding toward the staircase. I looked over, feeling anxiety in my chest when I saw him. He was smiling, not a very big one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Hey," I grinned, getting up.

"Sorry I took so long," he said, scratching his head. "The showers kind of broke down, and Professor Rasputin had to fix them."

"Oh, that's no problem," I replied, laughing inside.

"It was only a matter of time," Kurt said, wiggling his pencil between his fingers as he read his book. "That system had been acting weird for months. I tried to warn someone. How'd it end up breaking?"

"Let's just say the constant use of cold water caused the pipes to be very flimsy, and crack just as James was using it," Bobby shrugged, looking a little amused. My mouth dropped open in shock.

"You didn't!" I gasped, mouth still hanging open.

"Like Kurt said, it was only a matter of time," he replied, taking my hand. "You ready to go."

"Yes, of course," I smiled, but also felt kind of stupid. I actually didn't know where we were going. I mean, sure we were going to talk, but we didn't actually talk about where we were going to go. Perhaps he had already chosen a place? I wasn't sure if I should ask.

"You two have fun," Kurt chimed, looking up to wink at us.

"Don't stay out too late now," Amara teased. Cecilia just slightly raised her hand goodbye, not looking up from her books.

"So, where are we going?" I decided to ask. Better that than stay uncomfortably silent.

"You'll see," he replied, giving me a half smile. "In fact..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a a scarf, which I automatically knew the use of it was.

"Oh no," I said, shaking my head. "I like seeing where I'm going."

"But I want to surprise you," he said, blinking in surprise, not expecting my reaction.

"W-well I might phase or something." I quickly came up with that as an excuse. I didn't actually know if I would, probably wouldn't, but I just didn't like having my vision taken away from me.

"Please?" he asked again, holding out the blind fold. I hesitated. There was nothing wrong with wearing it. He would keep me safe, and if I needed to, I could take it off myself or phase through it...What if I phased off my clothes as well?

"O-okay," I sighed, nodding. He smiled, and I turned around so he could tie it over my eyes, cutting off my vision.

"How do you want me to lead you?" he asked, his hands on my shoulders. "Do you want me to guide you with my hands on your shoulders, or by holding your hand?"

"Shoulders is fine," I answered, hands out in front of me just in case. He lightly urged me forward, and I stepped forward, very worried I was going to trip on something. We only turned a couple of corners before we reached there destination.

"Be careful of the door frame," Bobby warned. I moved my hands around until I found it, and then took a careful step in.

"Can I take it off now?" I asked, already reach to remove it.

"No," he said, catching my hands. "You have to move over here first." I shuffled in the direction he pulled me, now curious as to what the secrecy was for. I hadn't really thought about it because I was worried about not tripping, phasing, or bumping into anything. We were here now, and I was very curious.

"Okay," he announced, undoing, the blindfold, and letting it fall. I blinked a few times to adjust to the light, and my mouth hung open in surprise. We were in the kitchen, and set up on the floor was a blanket with a candle, two empty glasses, and two plates with covers on them. What surprised me the most was the sentiment behind it. It was set up right in front of the fridge, which was were we had our first kiss.

"Surprised?" Bobby asked, looking satisfied with my reaction.

"I-I totally wasn't expecting it," I replied, my hands clasped against my chest. "You cooked to?"

"Yeah, I tried," he nodded. "I mean, I cooked quiet a lot at home. Haven't in awhile, so I'm abit rust."

"Cooking's like riding a bike," I shrugged, sitting down. "It's something you can't really forget. I bet you did a good job."

"Well, you can be the judge," he smiled, sitting next to me. He lifted the covers off of the plates, revealing mashed potatoes, and pieces of chicken. "And I have..." He quickly reached over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out a bottle of pop, "_Sprite._ I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, that's perfect," I nodded. I tried my best to avoid coloured pops, not sure why, just preference, so _Sprite_ was perfect. He poured some each into our glasses, and I picked up my plate and placed it on my lap. I tried the potatoes first, which were really fluffy and creamy. "I knew these would be good," I smiled.

"I'm glad," Bobby smiled, picking up his own plate. "So um, what did you want to talk about? I mean, what did you want to know?"

"Oh, well you can tell me anything," I shrugged. "Like where did you come from?"

"I'm from Long Island actually," he replied, pulling his chicken into small pieces. Lived there with my parents."

"Oh, what are they like?" I asked cheerfully. He'd never spoken about them, to anyone that I know of, and I was very interested in them. Bobby hesitated with his reply, and I could tell I wasn't going to like his answer.

"They don't like...the whole me being a mutant thing," he finally said, poking at his potatoes. "When they found out they...kind of freaked."

"Yeah, that seems to be a common thing to do when you discover your kid is a mutant," I agreed, thinking about how my parents reacted when they found me in the basement the next morning, my blanket hanging through the ceiling.

"No, I mean...they really freaked...like wanted to kick me out of the house right then and there," he continued, looking grim. I had to admit this was some pretty heavy stuff to be talking about right away, but I was eager to hear what happened, and was glad he was talking about this. "You see, my family is private. We like to keep to ourselves, and don't have many friends, just those of families my grandparents knew and stuff. I had friends of course at school, but I didn't tell a lot about myself because my parents wanted to remain private. Didn't understand why...but when my powers were discovered...well that just shot privacy to the wind."

"Everyone found out huh?" I asked, remembering to eat the food that still sat on my plate.

"Yeah," Bobby nodded. "When people fond out, people figured my parents were so private because of me, but they didn't even know about my powers, and it was a big scandal in the news letter at the club they go to. When it happened I..." His face looked so sad, I reached out a hand and touched his encouragingly.

"It's okay," I said. "You don't have to say anymore."

"I just...felt I let them down...," he sighed, squeezing my hand. "They liked keeping to themselves, and then suddenly they're in the middle of this big thing, and people are harassing them...They wanted to get rid of me, I know it, but that would only draw more attention to them. Professor X found me, and so I came here. I don't actually go home during the summer. I stay with Ray." I honestly didn't know what to say. Everything I came up with sounded cliche and stupid. I didn't expect him to get into all of that, but just simple mundane stuff for now. I felt guilty not knowing what to say. Bobby was then looking at me with a sad half-smile.

"I'm sorry I just dumped all of that," he apologized.

"Oh, no that's okay," I smiled. "Sometimes when the floodgates open, stuff just flows out. I'm sorry I don't really know what to say."

"Well, you listening is nice," he said, squeezing my hand again. "How about you tell me stuff about your family? Unless they're basket cases like mine."

"My family..well I guess, worked out the mutant thing a bit better," I replied, scratching my head.

"That's good," he replied, working on his food again. Tell me about them.

~X~

We spent a couple more hours together, talking about things like our old schools, and childhood memories, making sure to focus more on the positive things. I returned to the common room, parting with Bobby at the stairs, and was surprised to find that it was empty. I heard music coming from Amara's room, and figuring she was done studying for the night, I lightly knocked on it, then peeked inside. Kurt was also inside with Jubilee and Alison, and to my surprise, Cecilia. Amara was dancing to the music, with some choreography that looked like it was put together when she was younger. Cecilia and Kurt were laughing, and clapping to the beat encouragingly, as Alison and Jubilee created a light show. Cecilia was the first to notice me, and she instantly clammed up, and stared down at the ground.

"Kitty!" Amara grinned, turning to see me. "Come join the party!"

"What's the occasion?" I laughed, coming inside and closing the door behind me.

"We decided to take a break from studying," Kurt explained, turning down the music.

"We hurt the beats bumpin', so we had to join in," Alison grinned, flicking a purple light.

"And I thought I'd show off a dance some friends and I came up with back in like grade 5," Amara giggled. "We also needed to pull Cecilia away from those books. I swear, I could see the reflection of text in her eyes." Cecilia stared at the floor awkwardly, clasping her hands together.

"No need to get all nervous," Jubilee smiled encouragingly. "It's just Kitty."

"You should have seen her earlier," Amara whispered to me. "It was like she was an entirely different person. Singing and everything."

"Really?" I blinked in surprise, wishing I had seen it.

"So how'd your date with Bobby go?" Jubilee asked, jumping up on Amara's bed in excitement. "I heard you guys were gonna have one! What happened? Are the bottles empty?" I saw Cecilia look up, confused by the reference.

"Well, I think there was really only one bottle," I laughed, sitting on the floor, "but yeah, it was emptied. We talked."

"What about?" Alison wondered.

"Well...," I hesitated, not really sure if I should tell them everything.

"Why don't I let you girls have your 'girl talk'," Kurt chuckled. "I'll be off now. Thanks for studying with us today Cecilia."

"Welcome," she mumbled, looking down again.

"Not man enough to stay?" Amara teased, doing a few little moves to the music that was still playing.

"Nah, but I do have to hang out with my boys today, as much as I love being with you ladies," he smiled, bowing slightly. "Good night."

"Night," we chorused, before he vanished in a small puff of smoke.

"Deets, deets, deets!" Jubilee shouted with each jump on the bed.

"Well we talked about our pasts," I shrugged, tyring to remain as vague as possible. "You know, family, friends, were we grew up. Stuff like that."

"That sounds boring," Alison said, making a face.

"It was actually pretty fun," I smiled, playing over the evening in my head. "He made mashed potatoes and chicken, and we ate on a blanket on the kitchen floor, and he had a candle, and we drank _Sprite_."

"Awww," Amara gushed. "That's where your first kiss was!"

"Really?" Jubilee gasped, finally dropping down to lay on the bed on her stomach. "That's so romantic!"

"Yeah it was," I nodded, feeling my face get warm.

"Aww, you're blushing," Amara teased, poking my shoulder.

"Stop," I laughed, unable to hide my huge smile.

"I have to admit it was better than I expected," Alison nodded. "Guys are thoughtful here."

"Not all guys," Amara corrected, making a face. I knew exactly who she was talking about. Scott, and maybe even Ray. She didn't like either of them. Cecilia still sat awkwardly against the wall, and I had to admit I forgot she was there, but I smiled at her and tried striking up conversation.

"So Cecilia, where do you come from?" I asked.

"...Puerto Rico," she muttered. It was quiet, but it was a response.

"You know your powers are really cool," Jubilee smiled. "Can you only make a force field around you? Or can you make it around others?"

"W-well...," she hesitated, playing with her braids nervously. "I haven't done many experiments with my abilities, but so far, I can only make a force field so long as I'm in it. I can shield others as well, but the bigger I make it, the harder it is to keep solid."

"That's pretty cool," Amara grinned. "I bet it's strong enough to stop a car from hitting you huh?"

"Actually, it could be, but I'm sure it would still cause me damage," she continued, speaking more clearly. "You see, if my force field is hit, it causes me pain. Not as much as it would if I were to get hit to begin with, but pain just the same. Like I said, I haven't done many experiments yet."

"That's bogus," Alison huffed, scratching her head. "If you were to get shot by bullets or something, it would protect you from harm, but you'd still feel pain? That's a pretty unfair power."

"How about we go do some experiments?" I suggested, leaning forward.

"Really?" Cecilia blinked, looking at me in surprise.

"Sure," I shrugged. "I mean, what better time than now? You're thinking about it, and we can help you out.

"That's be fun," Amara nodded, clapping her hands together. "I'm in! How about you guys?"

"I'm down," Jubilee grinned, giving us a thumbs up.

"Sure," Alison shrugged.

"Wow, um, thanks...," Cecilia said, smiling slightly.

"Anytime," I smiled encouragingly. "Alright, let's go change into out gym outfits, then meet in the common room."

"Why the uniforms?" Alison grimaced. "Can't we wear our own stuff?"

"If you have any athletic clothes go ahead," Amara shrugged, "and if anyone asks, we're taking a jog...This will be a secret mission!"

"Mission: Force field!" Jubilee giggled, knowing it sounded kind of lame.

"Where are we going to do this?" Alison asked, lifting an eyebrow. "The Danger Room will mostly likely be taken."

"Nah, Emma said they were going out for some late night bonfire, kind of like what we did," Amara explained. We all looked at her, a bit surprised she knew this. "Those darn Hellfire jerks!" she quickly add, forcing a frown.

~X~

The five of us, dressed in out gym outfits and carrying things Cecilia asked us to gather for the experiments, entered the Danger Room, and to our relief, it was empty. Cecilia was well organized with a couple note books, and quite a few scenarios planned out. She must have had this planned out for a long time. We started off with how big she could create the force field with just herself inside, then with one person inside with her, and so on, trying different combinations like that. Then we tested the fore fields strength as it grew. We used a ball to test this. Alison had volunteered to throw the ball, and I must say, she had a wicked arm, and Cecilia flinched every time it hit her field.

We continued on, testing a few other aspects, and I promptly recorded it all in one of her notebooks. Cecilia frequently checked over to make sure the observations were correct. We continued on like that for about over an hour until Amara got an idea.

"What about temperature?" she suggested. "You think we should test for that?"

"You mean like using my field to keep my warm?" Cecilia asked, sounding intrigued.

"Well, I actually mean like, how much heat your field can take before it like, melts or something," she explained. "I could help out with that."

"The last time you showed off your powers you nearly killed Remy and burned part of the school," Alison replied, lifting an eyebrow.

"I wasn't gonna use lava," Amara snapped. "I was just gonna use my fire."

"I think that's a good idea," Jubilee spoke up, nodding her approval. "Though I think there's more motive to your suggest."

"What ever could you be talking about?" Amara asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You're trying to get some practice in too aren't you?" I smiled, putting my hands on my shoulders.

"Is it so wrong?" she pouted. "I mean, we don't get to do this type of stuff in gym. I'd like to take advantage of this opportunity."

"I don't mind," Cecilia shrugged. "Looking nervous. Just...just back off when I ask...okay?"

"Of course," Amara replied, looking surprised.

"Alright then," she nodded. "So far we have deducted that the large I make my field, the weaker it is, and we can assume that the same will happen with the heat experiment, so we will just do one run of it."

"Sounds good," Amara nodded, stretching her arms. Putting a thermometer around her neck, Amara followed Cecilia so that they were a good distance away from us.

"Think this is going to work?" Jubilee asked, leaning against a table.

"Let's hope so," I said, actually not sure how this was going to play out.

"Don't forget to take into account that I have been using my powers for awhile now," Cecilia said, getting ready, "so I might give out sooner than anticipated.

"No problem," Amara nodded. "I'll start off easy." Both stood ready, and Cecilia surrounded herself with a purple dome, and brought it as close to her as she could. Breathing slowly, Amara put her hands on the field and concentrated. Her hands instantly turned to flames, and Cecilia squealed, tripping backwards, and the force field happened.

"What happened?" Jubilee gasped, rushing over.

"I-I'm sorry," Cecilia stammered. "I-I think that should be all for today."

"I'm so sorry if I hurt you!" Amara panicked, the fire now gone.

"N-no it's okay," she said, getting up slowly. "I just wasn't properly prepared, a-and I'm tired from all the other tests. Perhaps another time we can do tests pertaining to the powers of other."

"Yeah, you can even test if Kitty can phase through it or not," Jubilee smiled encouragingly.

"That would be interesting," I nodded with interest. "You know, doing this was actually a lot of fun."

"Yes...yes it was," Cecilia nodded, gathering her things.

"You sure you're okay?" Amara asked again, looking really guilty.

"Yes, I am fine," she nodded again. "Thank you. I appreciate the help you all lent me. I feel I know my powers a bit better. I hope I can return the favour soon."

"Oh, we'll definitely come to you," Jubilee grinned. "You're so organized, and know the proper procedures for experiments and stuff. You must get perfect grades in everything."

"Of course," Cecilia replied, looking down at the floor. "I need to be perfect to become a doctor."

"You wanna be a doctor?" I asked, a bit envious. I didn't know what I wanted to be. I didn't really have any dedicated hobbies, or any dreams of the future. All I could do was slip through walls, and I doubted that could get me a career in anything.

"Yes," she replied simply. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned to leave the room, and jumped back when the doors suddenly opened, actually surprising all of us.

"And what are _you_ guys doing in here?" It was Longshot, and he was standing with Havok, Quicksilver, someone I didn't recognize, and to my dismay, John.

"We're using a facility which is available to _all_ students," Alison snapped, folding her arms over her chest, with her chin in the air. Jubilee took a similar stance, and I could tell it wasn't the first time stuck up to people together.

"Well the Hellfire Club has high priority over you twerps," Havok said, narrowing his eyes. "So I suggest you get along, little girls, and not make us angry."

"What? No more kids for you to bully on the playground so you pick on 'little girls'," Amara taunted, standing with the other two girls. Cecilia had run and hidden behind them, and I found myself just standing to the side awkwardly.

"We have just as much right to be here as you do," Jubilee nodded.

"B-but we're d-done...," Cecilia whispered, earning a choir of 'sh' from the other girls.

"We don't want to cause a scene now girls,' John said calmly, stepping forward. "So we'll ask yo again kindly, to please leave."

Amara's hands turned to fire, followed by Jubilee's hands giving off sparks. "Or what?" she challenged.

My heartrate sped up. That was exactly how she challenged Ray all the time, but I doubted it would have the same outcome of friends interfering, or just shrugging it off. The only ones that really had offensive abilities were Amara and Jubilee, and Cecilia, mine, and even Alison's were just defensive. I doubted we'd be able to fight against John's fire, Longshot's incredible aim, Quicksilver's speed, the other guy's unknown ability, and Havok's crazy powers. He went to Omega level for crying out loud. I quietly prayed that the guys would have the decency to not attack a group of girls, but from the glint in John's eye, I could tell that wasn't going to happen.

"Well we'd hate to pass up a challenge," he grinned, summoning his own fire, and in one motion, sent the flames flying at them.

~X~

AN: Yes, I said pop instead of soda. I heard saying soda was an American thing, not sure if it's true. I know since they are in New York I should have had them say 'soda' then, but meh. I'm Canadian and 'pop' just comes naturally. Lol Thanks for reading and I'd like some constructive criticism about what you like and what I should work on. Editing is a given. hehe


	11. Chapter Eleven

AN: Saturday has become official update day. I'm gonna try to get this story finished before I head off to College in September. Hope you guys enjoy. :) I will do what I can to have at least one chapter a week, but I know I'll feel more driven from seeing the hits this gets as well as reviews.

To Anon: That's a pretty cool idea. Send me a message so we can get in touch and talk about it.

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Eleven

My mind took a second to take in what was happening before me, it all happened so fast. John had sent the fire at them, and Amara managed to counter by redirecting it back at the boys, causing the two to end up in a stalemate. Cecilia had duck in cover under the table we had been using for to keep their papers on. Longshot and the unrecognizable guy flanked John as Havok and Quicksilver circled around. Quicksilver came at them fast, and they could only feel the breeze of him running by him again and again, keeping them in a small circle. Alison shouted, to add to the noise level, and made the brightest light she could, blinding him just enough for him to turn too early and run right into Longshot, knocking them both to the ground. Jubilee stood firm to one side of Amara sparks flying from her fingers, and I stood to the side, staring in shock. The guy I didn't recognized stomped hard on the ground, causing the ground to shake, and four walls of earth shot up surrounding Jubilee, Alison and Amara.

John ceased throwing fire at them, and looked at the handy work with a grin. "Nice work Avalanche. They won't be getting out of that for awhile." His eyes then fell on me and my breath caught in my throat in surprise. I was shocked by their behaviour. It shouldn't have surprised me, these guys were nothing but mean to everyone, but I'd hoped they have some restraint, especially in a school and they could get in a lot of trouble.

"Let us out you buttheads!" Amara screamed.

"Don't let her get inside," Alex yelled pointing at me. My heart jumped as the guy called Avalanche, stomped his foot again. He sent up a barrier around me, but to my surprise, it didn't bother me. I managed to phase through the earth, and hurried toward where the other girls were trapped. Longshot had gotten back on his feet, and thrown what looked like a stone at me. I was prepared to phase it through, but Cecilia had come out, a look of fear plastered on her face, but managed to create a force field around us, deflecting the stone, causing her to flinch a little.

"Damn it," Longshot growled angrily. "I _never_ miss! Never!"  
"You should try with a little more power mate," John grinned, and shot fire at us. I heard Cecilia gasp, and the field instantly falter before the fire even hit the shield. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her and phased us through the flames. It may not have burned us, but it made me uncomfortably hot. I felt like I was being barbecued from the inside out.

I heard a scream, and the flames instantly stopped. Breathing heavily, I looked at the boys, who all but Alex were slowly backing away. The barrier that kept the others trapped was slowly being covered by lava that seeped up through the cracks of the Danger Room floor. My breath caught again, as I watched in frightened wonder. _Amara..._ The screams were coming from inside. It was probably Jubilee and Alison, out of fear of being burned. Cecilia shivered in fright, clinging onto me tightly, and squeaked as the barriers crumbled from the heat of the lava, pooling around the three girls inside.

Alison and Jubilee were indeed clinging onto each other, staying as close to Amara as they could without distracting her. She had a determined look on her face, and looked really pissed off. "You wanna continue to play?" Her voice was firm, and harsh, with a tone that dared them to keep fighting.

Quicksilver, Avalanche and Longshot were ready to bolt out the door, John a little hesitant, and Alex just grinned with intrigue. "You learned to use your powers quickly," he commented, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "I guess you do have great potential."

"Don't wait to find out," Amara warned, her eyes filled with so much seriousness it scared me a little. "Now leave us alone."

"But we have prior-"

"What is going on in here?" A loud voice boomed, scaring us all but Alex and Amara. Professor Rasputin sat in the door way with Ms. Grey and Magneto flanking him. Their eyes went over the scene before them. The shivering Cecilia in my arms, the other girls surrounded by a mote of lava, and the boys, except Alex, looking guilty.

"Amara, you may calm down now," Magneto said firmly, stepping forward. Ms. Grey hovered, and I mean hovered, over to me and Cecilia, putting her hands on our foreheads.

"Are you both alright?" she asked, looking more worried for Cecilia, who was tearing up now. I nodded in response, still feeling a little overwhelmed with what had happened. I felt a calm sensation run through me, from head to toe, and my heart rate slowed down. Cecilia was looking a little better as well, but still frightened. I looked at Ms. Grey curious to what she had done, but her attention was caught by a screaming Amara, who still surrounded herself, as well as Jubilee and Alison, with lava.

"You have to punish them!"she screamed, glaring at Magneto. "No special treatment like they always get! They attacked us! We'll all tell you the exact same thing! They used their powers against us we had to defend ourselves!"

"They will be dealt with," Magneto said, looking steadily at her. "Now please Miss Aquilla. Calm yourself. You are keeping your friends in danger." She looked as if she had more to say, but she visibly relaxed, and the lava retreated, hardening over. Alison was quick to jump over the cooled magma and get away from Amara, and Jubilee was close behind her.

"All of you will come with us to the office," Magneto said firmly with authority. "You will all be questioned about this incident, and punishments will be handed out accordingly." His gaze fell on his boys. I couldn't tell how he was looking at them, but Avalanche and Quicksilver looked away in shame, and John, Alex and Longshot gave him looks of anger.

~X~

It took a long time to have everyone questioned. They kept us in separate rooms, the girls from the boys, and Ms. Munroe looked over us, to make sure we didn't talk to each other to try and coordinate lies to get us out of trouble. Professor X, Magneto, and Ms grey questioned each of us, asking a lot of questions. I was asked about who mad the first strike, what was said before anyone took action, and what I did after it started. I gave told them everything I could remember clearly. They were patient with me and weren't harsh with me.

When the last of us had been questioned, we were all called into the office and stood before Professor Xavier's desk. He sat there in his wheelchair, his elbows resting on the desk, his fingers kneaded together.

"I must say I am disappointed with the display this afternoon," he began, really showing his disapproval. "Nothing like this has every happened to this degree at this school in all my years."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have allowed girl here," John said crossly, earning a glare from Amara.

"Be quiet John," Professor X said strongly, but didn't snap. "From what I have gathered, it seems the ones to blame, are you boys, and Amara and Jubilee."

"What?" they shouted in unison, mouth hanging in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, you may not have 'thrown the first punch'," Magneto carried on, his arms folded over his chest, "but you two showed the first sign of hostility."

"But they were tryin-"

"We know what they were doing." Professor Xavier had cut off Amara's protest, "and both parties are mostly at fault."

"B-but-"

"This is second time you have caused damage to school properties Miss Aquilla," Magento cut her off this time.

"That guy broke the floor!" she screamed, pointing at Avalanche, clearly not liking the blame she was given.

"Yes, indeed he did, but you both are to blame for the damage done," Professor X said, trying to keep the atmosphere as calm as possible. The Hellfire boys were getting annoyed and restless. "Kitty, Cecilia and Alison shall go without punishment. You three may leave now. The rest of you stay to receive the consequences of your actions." I wasn't sure why Alison was getting off easy. She actually stood with Jubilee before Amara even stepped forward. Perhaps it was because she didn't use her powers yet, like Jubilee and Amara had to show they meant business. I left without another word, with Cecilia walking close to me, and Alison behind us.

"Whew, for a second I thought I was gonna get in trouble too," Alison said, putting her hands behind her head. "Good thing I wasn't able to use my powers until after the commotion started."

"If you ask me, you should have been in trouble too," I found myself saying without even realizing it.

She stopped me in the hall, glaring at me. "Excuse me?"

I hesitated, not wanting to "You challenged them just as much as Jubilee and Amara. In fact you were the first."

"But I didn't 'show the first signs of hostility'," she snapped, using air quotes.

"If you could have you would have." My eyebrows were lowered in anger, and I even leaned a bit toward her. "You just said so."

Her eyes narrowed and took a step closer to me, but I didn't back down. "You're twisting me words!"

"But not the meaning of them," I replied.

"You don't want to end up in the principal's office again do you?" The two of us stopped and looked down the hall to see Fred walking toward us. He had a concerned look on his face, and carried a backpack with him. "What happened? I heard you guys got into a fight with the Hellfire Club."

"Yeah, and we had them begging for mercy," Alison replied with attitude. She turned her back on me and walked away without another word to me. "Should have seen it Fred. We kicked butt."

"I bet you did." He grinned after her as she walked away, then turned and looked at me with a worried expression. "Is she right? Were you guys actually winning?"

I thought about it before answering. At first they had us trapped, but because of Amara, she managed to turn the tides some and made them stop. "Well, it was close," I replied, quickly adding to make him feel better, "but we stopped them in their tracks."

"Wow, that's great," he beamed. "Guess the Hellfire Club isn't all that after all huh?"

"Yeah guess not," I nodded in agreement.

"So who's getting in trouble?" He shifted his backpack anxiously. "I mean, someone had to have started it. And they would get in trouble right?"

"Well, try not to spread it," I requested, scratching my head, "but everyone got in trouble but me, Alison and Cecilia." It was then that I realized Cecilia had disappeared. That girl was so quiet, I didn't even notice her leave. She must have slipped away when Alison and I turned on each other.

"Oh, that's too bad," Fred said, blinking curiously. "I wonder if they'll be allowed to still participate in the Talent Show."

"Talent Show?" I repeated. I hadn't heard anything about a talent show. That'd be an interesting event.

"Yeah, it's the next event for the tournament," he nodded, excitedly clapping his hands. "If you have any sort of talent, they want you to sign up. A lot of people won't want to, but at least three people have to sign up from each team.."

"Really?" I blinked, scratching my arm. "I really don't have any talents...I mean, beside my powers. Powers don't count do they?"

"Nope," Fred chuckled. "If that were true, then everyone would have to join. Professor Xavier also said that for your talent, you're allowed to team up with someone from another team."

"Really," I nodded thoughtfully. I really didn't have any talents that would be entertaining enough to show the school. Or any talent that could be recognized at all. I didn't know what I was going to do, and I hoped my other teammates would be able to come up with something.

"I've already signed up," Fred stated proudly.

I smiled up at him, showing interest. "Really? What's your talent?"

"I'm going to keep it as a surprise," he winked, grinning widely. "I actually am off to go practice right now."

"Good luck," I waved, moving toward the girl's wing. "When is it by the way?"

"It's tomorrow."_ WHAT?_

"You're talent must be your bottomless stomach," spoke up a snide voice. I glared down the hall, and saw Emma, flanked by Wanda and Irene.

Fred showed no sign of taking offence to what she said, and just continued to smile. "Did you guys sign up yet?"

"Of course, we did," Emma snapped, rolling her eyes. "I don't know why they're letting you in though. You got nothing worth while showing."

"I don't know, I'd like to see them roll him across stage," Wanda grinned.

"Really?" I huffed, folding my arms. "Don't you guys have to paint your nails or curl your hair?"

"Yes, teasing Fred isn't necessary," Irene nodded, holding onto Wanda's arm.

"Come on, he's a big boy," Wanda smiled, with amusement. "It'll take more than that to pierce his thick skin."

"Yeah, nothing can hurt me," Fred nodded. "That's part of my powers. I can't be cut or scratched." Emma blinked at him in disbelief.

I didn't need telepathy to know what she was thinking, so I quickly stepped up. "Think what you want, we don't wanna hear it. Just leave us alone."

"Not worth it anyways," Emma snapped, her hands now on her hips. "Just wanted to give you and your friends a warning. Don't mess with the Hellfire Club anymore."

"So I suppose you heard about what happened already huh?" I asked, making a face. "Well I can tell you that you guys should stop walking around like you own the place. We're all students, and we all have the same rights to the facilities. I don't like being bullied, and neither do my friends. Iif you heard the right version of what happened, you'll know how Amara feels."

"Yeah, we heard how she went crazy," Wanda scowled. "She thinks she's all that, just because she can control fire. John can too."

"She controls lava," Fred grinned, clasping his hands together. "Bet he can't do that."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Emma said doubtfully.

"Well believe it because your boyfriend saw it." Fred stuck his tongue out at her immaturely.

"Look, I don't want to argue with you," I sighed, stopping him.

"Yeah, keep your whale in line," Emma grimaced. "Come on, let's go down another hallway." Emma and Wanda turned to leave, as much as I didn't want to, I heard Emma mutter something that had the words 'stupid' and 'lump'. Irene let go of Wanda and walked toward Fred and I, tapping walking stick on the floor. She came right up to me, and whispered into my ear, as if she knew where it was.

"I know what Amara can do," Irene said quietly. "You should watch out for her. Make sure she doesn't...lose herself."

"Um..." I was a little surprised by what she said, and she didn't elaborate. She quickly turned around and followed her fellow club members.

"What'd she say?" Fred asked, looking at me curiously.

"Oh, um, just something...," I shrugged, not wanting to explain.

~X~

"I call this emergency team meeting to order," Ray announced. For a dramatic effect, Mercury turned her hand into a gavel and hit the floor. It was the day of the talent show, and I still didn't know if I was going to be doing anything. My group had assembled in the kitchen, at the request of Ray and I. It was lunchtime, so we sat in a circle on the floor, eating our lunches. "First order of business," Ray continued while chewing on a sandwich. "Have they still not gotten to the bottom of that wolf in your room Mercury?"

"No they haven't," she replied, her hand resting on her knees. "I've been spooked ever since, and have been staying in Rogue's room."

"That's awful nice of her," Remy commented, leaning back on his hands. "Nice to see she's kind to some people at least."

"Which brings up our next report," Ray nodded, pointing at Remy. "How goes the wooing process?"

Bobby rolled his eyes and flicked Ray in the ear. "This isn't supposed to be some big formal meeting. We just need to figure out what acts we're doing for the talent show."

"Alright, alright," Ray glared, shrugging. "Then I guess asking how your relationship with Kitty is going is out of the question?"

"You can ask later," Bobby replied, looking to the rest of us. I smiled, kind of interested in what Bobby was gonna say, but knew it'd be good things. "So what _are _we gonna do? At least three of us have to sign up."

"I'm already signed up to play drums," Mercury replied. She grew drum sticks in her hands as if to demonstrate and began to tap away at the floor.

"And I have signed up to demonstrate my creative cooking abilities," Remy added. "I shall make something out of random items the judges give me, and within five minutes."

"Just five?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that possible?"

Remy grinned widely. "I don't mean to sound cocky Chaton, but I have yet to make something random that took me more than five minutes."

"So that leaves the three of us," Bobby said, looking at Ray and I. "At least one more of us has to sign up."

"I...don't have any talents," I admitted, making a face. "I mean, I have nothing show worthy."

"There must be some little thing you can do that others cant," Mercury said. "Well, besides walking through walls." I shook my head, trying to wrack my brain, even though I knew I'd come up short.

"Can you lick your elbow?" Remy suggested. "Or how about your nose?"

"No," I giggled, but it did remind me of something. "I can wiggle my ears though."

"No way!" Ray shouted, looking surprised. "Do it! Do it!" I smiled, and pulled back my hair to show my ears. The others came closer to see, and I moved them. "No way!" Ray said again. "That's so cool!"

"But how is everyone going to see it?" I asked, letting my hair go. "It's not like we have a giant magnifying glass."

"No, but we do have a giant TV screen," Bobby replied. "I'm sure we can hook up a camera to it and point it at you while you move your ears.

"Great, I'm gonna be on the big screen," I giggled, mostly at how lame the joke was.

"So we have cooking, drumming, and an ear wiggler," Ray announced. "The main purpose of our gathering is now solved, meeting adjourned!"

Smiling, Mercury hit her gavel-hand on the floor, then got up to leave. "I have to meet Bishop. We're actually doing a drum battle for the show."

"Nice idea, I'm sure you're going to kick his butt," Ray grinned.

"I actually have to get going too," I said, picking up what was left of my apple. "I have to go give Fred some notes. He missed class this morning."

"Alright, I'll see you later then?" Bobby smiled.

"Of course." I quickly kissed him, then headed out to the hallway.

I wasn't sure where to find Fred, I knew he had a class with Magneto next, but I doubted he'd be there yet, so I walked down random halls looking for him. I found a hallway I hadn't really used before, and it didn't seem like anyone else did either. I could hear a piano coming from one of the rooms. It wasn't an actual piece, more like two notes that didn't sound all that great together. Curiously, I went over and looked through the window in the door, and saw Fred. He looked very frustrated, and kept hitting the same two notes over and over again on the piano. I opened the door slowly, but he heard me and looked over.

"Oh! Kitty!' He looked a mix of surprised and embarrassed. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. I have notes from this morning's class," I smiling curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Well..." He hesitated, staring down at his shoes.

"Is it for the show tonight?" I asked, sitting down in a close chair. "Are you...playing piano?"

"Are you kidding?" he said, his voice sounding amused and doubtful. "With these big sausages?" he held out his hands, and looked over them.

"Fred..."

"I know what people say," he said, sitting down on the piano bench. "About my weight, and and size. It doesn't bother me...much. It has to do with my powers, you know? And I'm just so hungry all the time."

"Hey, if you want to play the piano, you play the piano," I said encouragingly.

"Oh no, that's not what I'm doing," Fred replied, shaking his head. "I was just trying to play my starting note."

I blinked at him in surprise, placing the notes down beside me. "You sing?"

"At my old school, in music class I couldn't do much else," he shrugged. "As you can see, I can't play piano, or any other instrument really. Not even in the percussion section. I used to break everything. I'm not as stupid as people think either. I know how...inconvenient my size and powers are."

"No Fred-" I felt so bad for him. I didn't think of him as inconvenient, or destructive. I actually thought of him as a friendly giant, or a big teddy bear, but I guess not everyone thought like I did. My mind flashed to how John had treated him on the bus to New York last year. Amara liked him, and I knew the others did too. I hated him thinking this way.

"But it's okay, I let people think what they want," he smiled, looking up at me. "I don't need to explain myself to people. If they want to judge me before they know me, that's okay. There's more of me for the people who do care." I grinned, liking how he thought of it. "And my music teacher worked with me, and yes, I sing. Opera to be exact. My music teacher says I'm a great baritone. That's a singer who's above bass, but below tenor."

"Thanks, because I wouldn't have known," I laughed. "But hey, if you need someone to give you your start note, I'd be happy to help."

Fred's face lit up, and he grinned from ear to ear. "That would be great." He stood up, adjusting his jacket, and headed over to a stand with papers on it. "Could you hit middle C for me?"

I walked over to the piano and stared down at the piano with a blank face. "Um..."

"Oh," Fred chuckled. "It's the white key before the group of two black keys, and its toward the middle of the piano."

I looked carefully, still not exactly sure which one it was, but I did notice how the black keys were grouped in twos and threes, and pressed the key I thought was right. "Is that it?" Fred looked over and nodded happily. I smiled, and pressed it again.

~X~

"Don't you chicken out on me now!" Amara shouted, pounding hard on a door. I was helping Jubilee spike her hair for the show tonight, but stopped when we heard her shouting. Jubilee and Amara hadn't been banned from the talent show, but were sentenced to cleaning the cafeteria for a week, along with assisting Magneto with filing when he asked for a month. The Hellfire Boys got punished worse surprisingly. They had a 9 o'clock curfew, for a month, as well as banned from the Danger Room and helping out Ms. Grey with anything she asked for the rest of the semester, which there was a couple months left in.

"I said open up now!" Amara shouted again. "I will knock this door down, and you know I will."

"Calm down Suga," Rogue sighed, coming out of her room.

"Wonder what she's trippin' out about now," Jubilee grinned, hurrying to her door to watch. I chased after her with her hair gel, still not done.

"Cecilia and I are signed up to sing a duet, and she's totally chickening out on me!" Amara growled, her fists on her hips. "I can't believe she's doing this!"

"You have to be nicer to her," Rogue said, patting her shoulder. "You know how scared easily she is. I'm sure she's just getting anxious about all the people looking at her. You just have to talk with her, calmly."

"If it'll make her any less nervous, you guys can go up with me and Alison," Jubilee grinned. I was still trying to spike her hair, but she was taller than me, so I couldn't really see if I was doing a good job or not.

"But we're shredding," Alison protested, lowering her eyebrows in disapproval. She was sitting on the couch with her feet up onthe coffee table. She was dressed in an imaginative rock outfit, with dark make-up on, and her hair in ponytails on her head. She was fingering an orange electric guitar. Or was it a bass? I couldn't tell the difference.

"No, we'll do it ourselves," Amara nodded. She was dressed in a short pink dress, and her hair was cured. "Okay Cecilia, I'm coming in to negotiate."

"Okay Jubilee, you gotta duck down so I can finish," I insisted, lightly pushing down on her head, hoping she'd follow.

"Oh right, right, sorry," she chuckled, squatting down. She watched intently as Amara managed to get inside Cecilia's room. "You think she'll persuade her to get up on stage."

"Well, I honestly see it going two ways," I replied, fixing up the mess I was starting to make of her hair. "Either she doesn't succeed and neither of them go up, or Amara gets her up there, and Cecilia freezes."

"You really don't think she'll be able to sing?" Jubilee asked, giving me a curious look.

"I know she can sing. Kurt and Amara told me she can. It's just in front of so many people I think she'll freeze. She just seems like that kind of person." I didn't meant to sound mean if I was, that's just what I thought was going to happen. I hoped I was wrong. I'd like to hear both of them sing together.

"You doing anything Rogue?" Alison asked, strumming at her instrument.

"Nah, I'm gonna sit this one out," she answered, sitting down in a chair. "My teammates are all involved, so I figured I'd just watch."

"You have any talents?" I wondered. "I mean, since your not showing the school, you could at least show us."

"I don't have none I can do outside of a farm," Rogue laughed. "But it's alright. I don't like showcasing much anyhow."

"You fly around all the time," Alison said. "I call that showing off."

"Everyone uses there powers everyday," I spoke up. "It's not showing off."

The door to Cecilia's room flew open and Amara slid out, her fists in the air out of triumph. "Success! I have a singing partner! Now she needs to be show ready! I need help!"

"Sure thing Suga," Rogue grinned jumping off her seat. "I don't have many fancy clothes she could wear, but I can help with her hair."

"I got the clothes part down," Amara smiled, hurrying to her room.

There was a loud pop, and a swirl of black smoke that caused Jubilee and I to jump back. Kurt grinned down at us, looking amused. "Sorry to scare you. I just came to see if you girls are done prettying yourselves up yet. They are asking everyone to assemble in the auditorium now."

"I need another ten minutes!" Amara announced, running from her room to Cecilia's. Rogue hurried after her and shut the door.

"Jubilee's ready to go," I announced triumphantly, admiring my handy work. "I hope it's alright."

"Oh it's great!" She only patted her head, but she seemed pleased with the result. "Alright! Time to rock this school inside out!"

"Are you doing anything Kurt?" I asked as Jubilee hurried to her room with Alison to find her guitar. I wiped my hands on my pants. I didn't really bother dressing up for the show, just wore ordinary clothes, but I had a fancy clip in my hair.

"Ja. I, the Magnificent Nightcrawler, shall walk across the auditorium on a tightrope." He made a little bow, and I then noticed his clothes.

"A-are you wearing a unitard?" It was a red colour.

"Save all your jokes. I wear this because it is the best for the aerodynamic stunts I shall be performing today," he explained, retying his ponytail.

"Oh, I wasn't going to make fun," I insisted. "I just havn't seen someone wear one before...Especially not a boy."

"Well, tightrope walkers wear them all the time in the circus," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Along with trapeze acrobats."

"Ready to go," Alison smiled, coming out of Jubilee's room.

"You guys both look great," Kurt complimented.

"Takes us back to our days on the street," Alison sighed, sounding slightly proud. "Time to show these guys how to really put on a show."

"Five minutes!" Amara's voice could be heard though the door.

"Take your time, we'll meet you down there," Jubilee shouted, strapping her green instrument on her back.

"Show time," I smiled, following them.

~X~

I felt downright ridiculous. Everyone's talents were so amazing. Mostly music related, but along with Kurt's tightrope walking, Gambit's cooking, Jamie's amazing juggling with multiple copies of himself, my ear-wiggling seemed stupid. I had yet to go, and I didn't want to. I was just going to embarrass myself. What these people were doing were real talent. Mine was just a quirk I found one boring day.

"I'm gonna be sick...," Cecilia stood beside me, looking a bit pale.

"No, you can't! We're next!" Amara panicked, fanning her with a folded piece of paper. "Stay with me girl!" Right now Quicksilver was tap dancing, and it was kind of hard to see what he was doing because he was moving so fast.

"You ready?" Bobby put an encouraging hand on my shoulder.

"Not really," I admitted. "I think I'm just gonna embarrass myself out there."

"Hey, not a lot of people can wiggle there ears, and people don't see it everyday, so I'm sure they'll like it."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"We're on!" Amara announced, grabbing Cecilia's frail looking arm.

"I...can't breathe..." Cecilia eyes were filled with fear, and I began to think she was actually gonna freeze up there. I hoped I was wrong.

"You can do it, I promise you can," Amara begged. "Just imagine them in their underwear!"

"Th-then I can't go out there!" she protested, pulling on her arm.

"Or how about you go up there with your eyes closed?" I suggested, hurrying over to them.

"What?"

"Go out there, and keep your eyes closed," I repeated. "Just imagine you're in your room, studying with Amara and Kurt, and you're singing. Just like last time."

"I-I'm not very good with imagining things..." Cecilia hesitated, staring down at the ground.

"Well it's too late to turn back now!" Amara panicked. "You can't leave me alone out there!"

"Are you ladies ready?" Ms. Munroe asked, ready to usher them onto the stage. We both looked at Cecilia, who stared at us with her wide fearful eyes.

"...I guess...," she managed to get out.

"Don't worry, if you blank, I'll come in to help," Amara smiled, pulling her out onto the stage. I smiled, as I watched them, feeling nervous for them.

"You ever hear Cecilia sing before?" Bobby asked, standing beside me.

"No, but I know she sounds good...let's hope she can do it though."

We watched, as Amara handed Cecilia her microphone, and she nearly dropped it. Amara waved out at the crowd as they clapped, and the music began. Amara began singing first, and she sounded great. I couldn't see Cecilia's face fully, but I knew she was still scared. Amara looked as if she waas gonna stop singing, but continued. I guess that Cecilia was supposed to take over, but she just stood there, awkwardly holding the microphone. _Come on Cecilia_, I thought. _You can do it..._ Amara continued to sing, but slowly she raised her microphone, and just held it to her lips.

"Amara sounds great." I looked behind us to see Fred standing there in a nice looking suit.

"Yeah she does. You look great yourself." I smiled.

"Hehe, thanks," he grinned. "Come on Cecilia! You can do it!" I could see the girl visible flinch at Fred's shout, but she had her eyes squeezed shut tight, and opened her mouth as she took in a breath.

She didn't manage to make a sound before the sound and light systems shut down, and began to flicker and make horrible noises.


	12. Chapter Twelve

AN: Okay, since you guys are such loyal readers, I'll let you in on a little secret...

We are officially halfway done this story.

That's right! Chapter 12 marks the halfway point. This is quite an accomplishment. I've never been this close to finishing a story before. Here's to the next 12 chapters and getting this done by the end of the year!

And one more thing, so sorry for not updating in a long while!

And one more thing, for reviews, please write something constructive, or your feelings about it. I don't want reviews that are only asking for me to write more and soon.

And one more thing, sorry but Logan won't be showing up in this fic.

And one more thing, cookies to whoever gets that reference! XD

~X~

~M~

~M~

Chapter Twelve

My hands instantly flew to my ears, and I squinted uncomfortably against the flashing lights. "What's going on?" I shouted, unsure if anyone heard me over the horrible noise. I didn't understand what was going on. It was hard to see, but when I did see flashes of people, they were in similar positions as I, covering their ears. I caught a glimpse of Cecilia and Amara, who were still on stage, but then the two of the quickly disappeared. I blinked in confusion, then felt someone grab me from behind. I thought it was Bobby at first, but when I then found myself in a normally lit hallway, I knew who it really was.

"You guys alright?" Kurt asked, letting me go. He had grabbed both Bobby and I, and brought us outside where it wasn't as hectic. Cecilia and Amara were there as well.

"That's just great!" Amara shouted in anger "It was the Hellfire Club! How dare they sabotage us!"

"Why would they sabotage their own teammate?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow at her. "But are you guys okay? Cecilia you were so close to singing."

She only looked relieved, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, but it's okay."

"No it's not okay!" Amara protested. "We didn't get to finish!"

"I'm sure once they figure it out you guys can." Fred had then appeared with Kurt holding his arm. I hadn't notice Kurt disappear again.

"What do you think happened?" Bobby asked, looking around to see if anyone else got out yet.

"Someone must have touched something," Fred replied, scratching his head.

"Sabotage!" Amara hissed, flailing her arms.

"For a reaction like that, it must have been," Cecilia agreed quietly. "I mean, if something were to just short circuit, it would have all shut down and caught on fire."

"Ha! Proof in the pudding!"

"You need to calm down a little," I suggested, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If someone did indeed do this, the teachers will figure it out."

"Do you think we should have staid inside?" Fred wondered, his finger on his chin. "What if the teachers need to question us?"

"I wouldn't wanna be in that crazy room," Amara shuddered. "Thanks Kurt."

"My pleasure," he smiled, giving a small bow.

"You sure seemed in a hurry to get out of there though," she looked at him skeptically. "Guilt maybe?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes, giving her a look. "Really?"

"Just thinking of all the possibilities," Amara shrugged, crossing her arms.

"It would have to be someone who's good with electronics," Cecilia cut in. "Are you Kurt?"

"I only know the basics," he answered, looking at Amara. "I'm hurt you would think of my as a suspect."

"I'm sorry," she pouted, blinking her eye rapidly. "Forgive me?"

"There you are." We all looked down the hall and saw Magneto hurrying toward us. "I was wondering where you all had gone."

"Did you guys catch the culprit?" Amara asked, hoping up in front of him.

"Well, that'll be discussed later," he replied, glancing over the rest of us. "You all need to come back to the auditorium."

"So we can finish?" she beamed, shooting her fist into the air.

"No, so you can hear what is being done about what happened," he said, turning on his heels and walking away. We all followed, knowing we'd have to. I gave Amara an apologetic look, and she just pouted.

~X~

By the time we got back to the auditorium, Ms. Munroe was basically done explaining what had happened. Natural, we didn't know, but Magneto told us to sit down, and hurried to the front of the room.

"So, as for the rest of the talent show, we won't be able to finish it today," Ms. Munroe continued, earning a few groans throughout the room. The loudest one was from Fred, not just because he was closest to me, but because he did look the most disappointed. I felt for him. He was so looking forward to performing. He hadn't shown it as much as Amara, but when I helped him practice earlier, I could feel his passion for his singing.

"We will saved it for a later date-"

"Wait!" I suddenly found myself standing up, with everyone's eyes on me.

"Kitty what are you doing?" Amara whispered, poking at my arm.

Ms. Munro gave me a questioning look. "Yes Miss Pryde?"

"Um," I looked around, a bit nervous now, not exactly sure what I was doing. "C-could you allow, j-just one more act?"

"The electrical systems are shot right now-"

"What if it's one that doesn't need one?" I asked, twiddling my thumbs behind my back. Everyone continued to watch me as I wait for Ms. Munroe talks it over with Magneto and Professor Rasputin.

"And what act do you have?" Professor Rasputin asked, looking curious.

"Oh, it's not mine," I smiled, looking over at Fred, who was as oblivious as everyone else. "It's Fred's." The room buzzed with chatter then, some even giggled, and I heard rude comments like "What, is he gonna fill his mouth with golf balls?" I continued to stand, looking up at the teachers, and I could see Fred look a bit uncomfortable from his seat.

"What do you do Fred?" Ms. Munroe asked, looking curious.

"I-I, uh..., he stammered, avoiding eye-contact.

"He sings opera," I butted in with a big smile. "He doesn't need a microphone to fill the room with his singing." Everyone was laughing now, not us of course, his few friends, but it looked like almost everyone believed the idea of him actually singing was hilarious.

"Settle down," Professor Rasputin shouted, his voice echoing off the walls, causing everyone to shut up.

"Alright," Ms. Munroe nodded with a smiled. "Come on up Fred."

Fred hesitated greatly, his eyes darting around in surprise. He looked spooked, his earlier confidence gone. I gave him an encouraging smile, and tugged on his sleeve.

"You can do it Fred," Amara grinned, giving him a push.

"Yes, go for it," Kurt added with a grin of his own.

"If you don't want to Mr. _, no one is forcing you," Magneto spoke up, looking a little impatient, and this caused a few people to snicker again.

"N-no, I-I," Fred was on his feet,but he was shaking. Bobby and I moved out of Fred's way to allow him into the hallway.

As he passed us, I gave him another encouraging pat. "You can do it," I whispered. He only nodded, and continued to walk up to the stage, still visibly shaking. The teachers had left the stage, so when Fred finally got up there, he was alone.

He stared wide-eyed at the crowd of his peers, most of whom made fun of him behind his back, and never took him seriously. He stood there, now more afraid, and unsure if he could do it now. His arms were stiff at his sides, and his eyes wide.

"His starting note," I hit myself in the head. "He doesn't have his starting note!"

"What is it?" Jubilee asked, making me jump. I hadn't noticed her sneak back to where we were siting.

"Um, middle C if I remember correctly," I replied. "But I don't remember how it sounds."

Jubilee then began to hum, and her pitched changed a few times before she settled on one. "Is that it?" she asked.

"It sounds like it...I'm not one hundred percent," I scratched my shoulder, feeling anxious. "I'm sorry, I'm bad with music. How are we gonna tell him?"

"We shout it of course," Amara grinned jumping to her feet. "You can do it Fred! Laaaaaaa!" Jubilee stood and held the note as well, causing everyone to stop and give them weird looks. I saw Fred visibly relax, and took in a deep breath.

He sounded so amazing. Amara clapped her hands, joined in by the rest of our group as he sang The low notes he hit were amazing, and I forgot what language it was in, but that was amazing how he remember it too. He was loud enough to fill the room, just like I thought, and no one spoke, a lot of them staring in shock. I couldn't help but feel a little smug on Fred's behalf. This was his moment, and he was shining.

~X~

"Here's to Fred, and his enchanting voice," Remy announced, raising his juice box. The bunch of us decided to celebrate, by gathering in the kitchen for drinks.

"A-and to Amara's nice voice too," Fred beamed humbly.

"Here, here!" Amara agreed with a giggle. "It's amazing that you were able to fill the entire auditorium. You got a great set of lungs."

"A lot of professional practice," he grinned, chugging his juice.

"You know, I hadn't seen Scott today," Rogue commented, sitting cross-legged in the air. "In fact I haven't seen him in awhile."

"Well, he didn't want people to know," Bobby began, "but he went home."

"Why?" Amara gasped, leaning eagerly over the counter toward him. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "but Alex followed yesterday I heard, just after that run in you guys had."

"I hope he's okay," I said, feeling worried.

"He'll be okay." We turned toward the doorway where Ray was standing, his clothes looking a little fried.

"What'd you do? Stick your finger in a light socket?" Amara asked smugly.

"Ha-ha," he huffed, coming over and grabbing a box of juice.

"What happened to you?" Kurt asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Didn't you guys hear what happened with the electric systems in the auditorium?" he said, leaning against the wall, looking exhausted.

"We missed some of it because we were taken outside," I replied, looking curious. "What _did_ happen?"

"Sabotage," he sighed, earning a loud gasp from Amara.

"I knew it!" She shouted pointing at him accusingly. "I knew you didn't like me, but _really_?"

"Not _me_," Ray snapped, glaring at her. "_I_ was the victim. I took the next shift with working the lights and sound, and then someone poured water on me as I was operating. When I'm surprised, I always send out a jolt of electricity involuntarily. That, plus the water short circuiting the panels, caused everything to go haywire, frying the system, and me a bit."

"Do they know who did it?" Rogue asked, patting a spot on his shoulder she could have sworn caught fire again.

"No," he grumbled, "but who ever did it must have some sort of burn. I'm pretty sure I got em with that jolt."

"Then let's go inspect every Hellfire Club member!" Amara demanded, slamming her fist on the counter a little too hard, because after she shook it.

"You don't know it was them," Kurt said, flicking her ear playfully.

"I don't know," Rogue shrugged. "I could definitely see Emma being behind something like that."

"I-I actually think it was one of the boys," Amara spoke up. "I don't think one of the girls did."

"Why do you think that?" I asked, a little confused. "And again, why would they sabotage someone on their team?"

"They are weird," she shrugged, a little hesitant with her answer. "I don't try to understand them. S-so, what's the next event? I mean, after we catch up on the rest of the Talent Show."

"There isn't going to be another event until after mid-terms," Kurt replied, tapping his chin, "and I think the next event is baseball."

"There's a dance too!"

"Who's there?" Amara demanded as another voice piped in. I already knew who it was.

"It's just me," Megan poked her head into the room, looking a little scared. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn't help overhear..."

"How do you know there's going to be a dance?" Rogue asked, stretching out her legs.

"Because the others in the Club asked Magneto if there could be one," she replied. "Emma for one was really insistent, and the others agreed."

"Is there anything you guys _don't_ get when you ask?" Amara huffed, folding over her arms.

"Well, the dance isn't just for us," Megan said, twirling her hair around her finger nervously. "It's for everyone."

"The guy to girl ratio is very drastic," Kurt commented with a little laugh. "You girls might be juggling dance partners."

"Oh heck no," Rogue scoffed, and looked away form Remy when he smiled at her.

"I'll be happy with dancing with one," I smiled, putting an arm around Bobby.

"Yeah...," he mumbled, scratching his head. "I don't dance..."

"We can change that," I giggled.

~X~

Mid-terms were closer than I realized, so the next day I decided to spend that Saturday studying. I tried studying in my room, but it wasn't as easy as it was last year with me being the only girl in the wing. I could hear the other girls talking and giggling and even causing some commotion. I wondered a bit with my books, and then decided my best bet was the library. It was quiet there, and I would be able to focus. I hoped at least.

I entered the quiet room, looking around for an empty table. I wasn't the only one with the idea to study today, but it wasn't extremely crowded. There were a few small study groups here and there, and the occasional person studying solo. I could tell which one was Cecilia by the pile of books that toward the one table. I found a nice spot in the corner, and settled down, placing my books where I could easily get them, and set up my notebook to take notes.

I spent about a good hour on math. This year had gotten harder, and I did a lot of practice questions to make sure I was doing it right, and to drill the steps into my head. I was just moving onto some science when I noticed Forge looking at a nearby bookshelf.

"Hey Forge," I smiled, careful not to be too loud.

He looked over with a big grin. "Hey Kitty, it's been awhile." He picked the book he was looking for off the shelf and came over, sitting across from me. "What are you studying for?"

"Science," I replied, frowning at all the equations. "Chemistry specifically. Man, math is everywhere. My head's ready to explode."

"Yeah, I know how ya feel," he laughed lightly. "So how are thing? I miss not seeing you everyday."

"I'm in your gym class," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I meant in the Hellfire Club," he smiled, leaning against the table. "It was fun having you around. You didn't leave just because of John did you?"

"Well, basically," I replied, with a slight shrug. "And I don't know I just didn't feel like I fit in well there. Besides, the only reason I was invited was because I was the only girl, but now you guys got three."

"You weren't just invited because you were a girl," Forge frowned. "Didn't Magneto know your grandfather? That's more likely the reason you were invited."

"Oh, yeah that's true," I nodded. I had forgotten about that. I didn't really know how he knew my grandpa. I never asked. I should next time I remembered. I didn't know much about my grandpa, but I would like to know more about him. "B-but I think it was best I left. I don't think I would get along well with the other girls."

"You talk with Megan don't you?" he asked curiously. "She's mentioned you a few times."

"Really?" I asked, smiling. "She's the exception. Wanda and Emma are just downright mean."

"But what about Irene?" Forge wondered, narrowing his eyes. "She's not rude to anyone. In fact she's the most polite person I've ever met"

"Oh yes of course," I agreed, waving my hands. "She's very nice. I haven't spoken to her much, but she's great."

"Okay, good." He looked relieved.

"Do you like her?"I asked a little teasingly, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, well, yeah, she's a nice person," Forge stammered a bit, "like I said already."

"You gonna ask her out?" I grinned, thinking the two of them would look cute together.

"Ah, no," he replied, looking a little glum. "I mean, would, but...I think she may like someone else."

I then remembered seeing her talking with Kurt back at the track meet. _Maybe it's Kurt?_ I thought. "What makes you think that?" I asked. "Did she say so?"

"Um, no she didn't," he shrugged, fiddling with the book in his hands, "but she sometimes goes off without telling anyone where she's going. Not even the other girls know. Wanda told me it must be because of a boy, because she came back to her room one rainy day, and she was wearing a big coat. A boy's coat."

"Huh." _Interesting,_ I thought. _I'll have to ask Kurt about this._ "Well, I'm sure there's no harm in asking her," I suggested. "Asking her out I mean."

"Or maybe you could ask her!" Forge gasped, looking at me with wide eyes.

"A-ask her out for you?" I asked, my mouth hanging open.

"No, no, ask her if she's seeing anyone," he corrected. "You're a girl, she's a girl, girl's talk."

"But you just said she hasn't even told the other Hellfire girls," I pointed out, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes, but perhaps she'll talk to you because you won't judge her if she's seeing someone outside of the Hellfire Club."

"Is dating within the Club a rule or something?" I questioned, not really sure how I felt about that.

"Well, an unspoken one," he shrugged. "Emma's with John, Wanda's got something 'complicated' with Alex, and Megan is seeing Angel."

"Really?" I gasped. "Megan's with Angel?" I couldn't help but grimace a little. Angel was nice and all, but he was just too forward.

"Yes, just happened recently though," he nodded. "She didn't fall for his charms that easily, but wasn't as scared away as you were."

"Now scared is an overstatement," I objected, folding my arms.

Forge just laughed,earning a few hisses to shush. "So, can you?" he asked in a quieter voice. "Talk to Irene I mean."

I didn't really know how to say no, but I also didn't know how I was going to approach Irene in a way that would get her to tell me something that she wouldn't even tell her closest friends. I couldn't really see how anyone could get close with Emma and Wanda, but I shouldn't judge. "Sure, I'll see what I can do," I found myself saying.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I'll let you get back to studying. Gotta get back to the club. I'm helping a couple of the guys."

"Alright," I replied, when I remember what Bobby said about Alex. "Oh um, I heard that Alex and Scott went home. Do you know what happened?"

"No sorry," Forge frowned as he stood. "All Magneto told us was that it was some family emergency."

"Oh okay, thanks," I nodded, a little disappointed. "Have fun."

"You too," he grinned, giving a small wave as he left.

~X~

I studied for another hour before leaving the library and headed for my room. I was getting hungry, and figured it was about time I got some lunch. My head really was starting to hurt from studying. In the big scheme, I think I may have covered half of the material. I had to spend a lot of time going over the material again and again, to make sure I understood it.

I wasn't sure how I was going to talk to Irene. She was probably with the other Hellfire girls, and not to sound like a coward, but they were intimidating. I actually didn't know what I was gonna say. "Hey, do you have a secret boyfriend?" Yeah, that'd go over well. I had put my stuff away and was heading toward the cafeteria when I saw Amara. I nearly fell over when I saw who she was talking to. She was talking with Emma.

I slid back around the corner, pretty sure they hadn't seen me, and peaked around again. They were talking alright. They didn't look hostile either. I couldn't get out what they were saying, but they both looked pleasant with their conversation. They were even laughing! I was so confused. Amara hates on the Hellfire Club all the time, and now she's being buddy-buddy with their lead girl. Well, she did act kind of off recently, could Emma be up to something? _She couldn't actually be controlling her_, I thought, trying to remain positive. _Could she?_

"It's not always nice to spy," a voice whispered behind me, causing me to jump. I turned around guiltily, hoping the girls didn't here either of us, and looked up to see Magneto.

"S-sorry," I apologized, rubbing my head.

"It's alright," he smiled. "Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat." He looked pleased with his pun, and I only laughed nervously. "How is studying for exams coming?" He motioned for us to walk down the hall, away from Amara and Emma.

"It's coming," I nodded in response. "I studied all morning, and I'm taking a break for lunch."

"Why don't you come to the Hellfire Club?" he suggested, earning a surprised look from me. "Today I suggested to the club to bring a friend who's not in the club for a luncheon. The club is getting a reputation of being unsocial with outsiders, and are becoming a bit segregated. So I suggested everyone bring a friend to show they aren't mean. You have friends in the Club, you used to be one of them."

"Yes, true," I nodded, but I thought the idea a little awkward. For one, John was there, and I wasn't sure how that was gonna, and also I wasn't sure how it would go if the others found out. I wasn't sure how they would react, but they weren't as biased as Amara. _I wonder if she is going_, I thought._ Perhaps that's why she was talking with Emma. They are on the same team after all, and the only one not in the Hellfire Club. That makes sense._

"Um, sure," I shrugged. "That sounds like fun."

"Glad to hear it," Magneto beamed. "Oh, and how about you come to my office after? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh, sure," I replied. _What could he want to talk about? _I wondered. _My identity as a mutant maybe? He still asked me every once in awhile if i chose a new name for myself yet, but no luck._

I walked with Magneto to the room the Hellfire Club ate their meals, and was surprised by how crowded it was. The table in the centre had been moved to the side, but was covered with food and drinks, so that people could move around and mingle. It looked like everyone in the club actually brought a guest.

"I'm sure you know many faces in the room," Magneto said, moving across the room. "I must attend to something. Enjoy yourself."

_Gee, thanks,_ I thought. Sure I knew some of the face, all of those belonging to Hellfire Club members, but beside Forge, who I didn't see, I couldn't really go up to any of them. But to my surprise, Amara actually _did_ come to the party with Emma. She was smiling, and waving a finger just before she walked over to the table of food. Emma went in the opposite direction, so I decided to sneak up on my unsuspecting friend.

"Fancy seeing you here," I said, hands on my hips. Amara jump nearly a foot in the air, dropping her finger food.

"K-kitty!" Her eyes were practically popping out of her head. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was invited," I answered, giving her a half smile. "As I suspect you were too."

"I-I can explain," she stammered, waving her arms, struggling for an excuse.

"Hey, it's okay," I smiled, patting her shoulder. "I know why you're here."

Amara stopped and blinked at me in surprise. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah, well I think I do," I shrugged. "You got asked to come because Emma had to invite someone, and the only person outside the club she talks to is you right? Since you guys are on the same team and all?"

Amara took a second to reply. "Yes, yes that's it," she nodded. "I feel kind of insulted though, seeing as I was her only choice, so she _had _ to ask me."

"Did you ask for a sort of payment?" I giggled, picking up and interesting piece of food.

"No, thought I'd just have her owe me a favour for another time you know?" she shrugged. "So who invited you? Megan?"

"No, Magneto actually," I answered, trying the food, and wishing I hadn't. "Ew, what is this?"

"Squid," a voice answered, taking the piece I hadn't eaten. "It's an acquired taste." I blinked in surprise as the boy who had taken my food popped it into his mouth with a grin. He was tall, dark-skinned, and his hair was in cornrows.

"Who are you?" Amara asked, clearly as surprised as I was.

"The name's Lucas," he introduced. "People usually refer to me by my last name though. Which is Bishop, by the way. I'm Avalanche's guest."

"Oh, I'm Kitty, and this is Amara," I introduced. "I'm guessing you like seafood?"

"Love the stuff," he nodded, patting his stomach. "Then again I eat almost anything. I'm not that picky with how food tastes. You just have to get used to it."

"You sound like Fred," Amara chuckled. "What's with the camera?" She pointed to the expensive piece of equipment that was hanging around his neck.

"Oh, I like taking pictures," he explained. "You know the sayings, 'A picture's worth a thousand words', and 'take a picture it lasts longer'? Well I live by those. I like capturing almost everything. I have a ton of labelled photo albums. Mind if I get a picture of you guys?"

"No!" Amara and I looked at each other in surprise as we both shouted the same thing. Lucas blinked at us in surprise.

"Come on, you guys don't have to worry about looking bad," he laughed. "I'm an excellent photographer. I hope to be a recognized as professional one day."

"N-no it's just...," I trailed off, not wanting to sound mean. I didn't want any proof that I was here, and I bet Amara didn't either.

"We're very camera shy, and yeah..." Amara's attempt was no better than mine, and I just gave her a look.

"Don't want proof you were here huh?" Lucas laughed again.

"Y-yeah, kinda," I admitted scratching my head.

"Well it's a lil' too late for that." Amara and I gasped when we saw Rogue approach us, with a smirk on her face. "Well, looks like everyone's gettin' in on this fancy meal."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Amara demanded, feeling embarrassed.

"I invited her," Megan beamed poking her head from behind her. "I was gonna ask Kitty, but I couldn't find you. But hey, you're here. That's great."

"Well, you have to let me take your picture now," Lucas insisted. "Half your friends know now anyways."

"No there are plenty others," Amara answered, shaking her head.

"Oh well, what are they gonna do?" Rogue shrugged.

"Well call me a hypocrite for one," Amara sighed, as Rogue got in between us with her arms around our shoulders.

"Go ahead and take a pic Bishop," she grinned.

"You know him?" I asked, curiously. Megan stood on the other side of me with a big grin.

"Yeah, he's on my team," Rogue nodded. "Alright, everyone say caviar!"

"Caviar?" We all repeated, but as a question. I wasn't expected Lucas to actually take the picture. I was distracted, and I was sure I blinked when the flash went off.

Lucas laughed after he took the picture. "That was perfect!"

"I call a do over!" Amara demanded. "I wasn't ready!"

"Sorry, I don't do do overs," he grinned. "It's about capturing the moment, and in that one you were all so confused and surprised, and it was captured perfectly."

"Well then show me!" she demanded, jumping at him.

"What have you been up to all day?" Rogue asked, taking a piece of squid, and I shivered. She ignored Amara who was pestering Lucas to show her the picture, but he was refusing until it was developed.

"I studied all morning," I replied, taking a mini sandwich.

"Oh, me too," Megan smiled. "Can't believe how close mid terms are. I'm so not ready."

"When is anyone ever ready for tests?" Rogue sighed, munching on her food. "So who invited you Kitty?"

"Oh, Magneto did," I replied. "Also said he wanted to talk to me after as well."

"Maybe he wants to try and recruit you back to the club?" Megan smiled, liking the idea.

"No, I'm good not being here," I insisted.

"Oh, it's your history with John isn't it," she said. I really hoped he wouldn't have been brought up. I managed to avoid him so far as well. He was on the other side of the room with Emma and a few other people.

"Not just that," I insisted. "I just like it better not being with the club. You have to eat here with them, but I like eating in the cafeteria. And they used to bug me a lot when I used to study, and it's nice not being pestered."

"That's a good way of looking at it," Megan nodded. "It'd be nice having lunch with you guys."

"Then ditch and come sit with us," Rogue said, raising an eyebrow. "It's not mandatory is it?"

"Well...," Megan was hesitant with her answer, and I decided to take a guess why.

"Is it because of your boyfriend?" I asked, with a teasing smile.

"W-what?" Megan stammered, looking at me in surprise.

"You have a boyfriend?" Amara finally turned from pestering Lucas to us. "Who? Who?"

"Um, well...I'm seeing Angel," she admitted, blushing slightly.

"Why is everyone getting a guy but me?"Amara pouted, hanging her head.

"I don't have one," Rogue replied, making a face at her.

"But you have Remy on your tail all the time," she pointed out.

"Pfft, I'm not interested in him," she huffed, folding her arms.

I only giggled at her, and jumped when there was a sudden flash. We all glared at Lucas who only grinned. "I'm sorry, capturing the moment is like a disease," he laughed, adjusting his camera. "So I'm guessing from Amara's statement you have a boyfriend Kitty?"

"Yeah, I'm dating Bobby Drake," I nodded.

"How are things with him by the way?" Rogue asked, wanting to keep the subject off of her and Remy.

"Great actually," I smiled, slightly blushing. "We've been talking a lot more lately."

"That's good to here darlin'," she grinned, putting and arm around my shoulders.

"Now with my guy problem!" Amara pouted. "Help me!"

"Suga', you don't have a problem," Rogue said, shaking her head. "You just need to stop worrying. If you wanna know what Bobby thinks, just tell him how you feel, and he'll tell you."

"But I could get heartbroken!" she protested.

"Well I can't help you," she was getting slightly annoyed with Amara. I was about to say something when there was a crash, followed by screams. I spun my head around, and in the center of the room was a wolf, with Irene's arm in its mouth.


End file.
